An Enchanted Curse
by BirdKidKirby
Summary: Maximum Ride goes missing after saving her sister. What the townspeople don't know is she was captured by cursed half-animal, half-humans, and their leader may just be stealing her heart. AU, FAX.
1. Taken

Chapter 1: Taken

**Hey! BirdKidKirby here. So, I think it's going to become pretty obvious pretty fast what fairy tale I'm redoing, but keep reading. I promise, this won't be cliché. At least I'll try to promise that as best I can. I think I did a pretty good job of making it more Maximum Ride and less cliché Maximum Ride fanfic. In fact, just read. The beginning isn't too great, but it gets better after a few chapters.**

**Ages:**

**Max: 20**

**Fang: 21***

**Iggy: 20***

**Nudge: 17***

**Angel: 7***

**Gazzy: 10***

**Ella: 17**

**Dylan: 22**

***=Age appearance, the actual number is too big to write.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

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**Ella POV:**

"Go on, go on!" Ryan urged. "You're smart and brave. You'll make it back." He gave me a gorgeous smile. I wanted to go out with Ryan Bernoth more than anything. He was by far the hottest guy in school, and yesterday he had offered to take me out to dinner. _He_ asked_ me_. On one condition.

See, there's this huge old mansion about twenty miles outside of town. It's about an hour long drive through this forest, and then you walk up this dirt path to a huge wrought iron gate. Like, a twenty foot tall one. Behind the gate was this expensive-looking manor that was like a billion years old. But it was abandoned. Or so people thought.

Actually, the majority of our suburban town and the ones around it think the house is haunted or cursed. Tons of adventurous teens had tried to get inside and succeeded. Then they vanished and were never heard from again.

A demented howling could usually be heard around here, but everyone new these woods were infested with wolves. That's why Ryan brought one of the hunting rifles he uses when his dad and older brother take him out hunting. What a masculine pastime….

Anyway, Ryan Bernoth had come up to me yesterday and asked if I wanted to catch a movie and some dinner with him this weekend. Um, duh! Of course I agreed. Then he said first he wanted me to prove myself to him. He and some of his gang (yeah, he was that badass of a guy) were going to the Mansion this Friday, and he wanted to know if I wanted to tag along and help out. I jumped on the chance.

Now here I was, staring up at all twenty tall, menacing feet of the metal front gate. Ryan's right-hand-man John went over the plan again with me. "You go inside and tell us what you see. Then you text us if the coast is all clear and we come in with Ryan's gun and take some pics for the internet. Anything dangerous gets shot."

I nodded weakly. "Okay," I managed.

"You're not scared, are you?" The other member of our party, a guy named Alex, asked tauntingly. "We thought you were brave enough to go out with the school's toughest badass."

I gave him a small smile. "No way. Of course, I'm not the one who had to ask a girl to lead the way."

Alex thought about it. "Whatever, you're disposable. Now quit stalling and go!" I ignored the "disposable" comment. Everyone in school knew Alex Jimmers was an asshole. Ryan smiled at me and motioned with one hand. _Go ahead._ His eyes said. Aww…I could tell what he was thinking just from his eyes! We were going to be perfect together.

I took a deep breath and pushed on the gate. It swung open with an ominous creaking sound. I steeled my nerves and started walking down the stone path. I pushed open the solid oak doors with the wolf-head-shaped brass knockers. They weren't even locked.

Once inside, I was immediately aware of how pitch-black it was. The front door slammed shut behind me. I hadn't touched it, and there was no wind. I was terrified now. But the thought of a date and kissing Ryan Bernoth kept me going.

My eyes adjusted after a moment. The place was full of old furniture and knickknacks. The weird part was, it didn't look abandoned. There were no cobwebs in sight and dust seemed nonexistent. Not only did it look inhabited, it looked like whoever, or whatever, lived here was very neat.

Suddenly, I heard breathing behind me. I turned just in time to see a dark shadow vanish through an archway to the next room. However, it might have just been my imagination.

My hands shaking, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Time to text Ryan. If anything was here, he had a gun. Ryan could protect me. I wrote a simple text.

_coast clr. come on. its drk._

I hit "Send". A second later, a message popped up on the screen. _No service. Message cancelled._ What did it mean no service? I tried to call Ryan instead. It rang for a minute, then a monotonous, robotic voice said, _"Unable to connect. Service unavailable." _I started to panic. What the H-E-double golf clubs was going on?

I turned to go out the front door and shout for Ryan and the others to come on, but something blocked the way. I couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly, a dim light turned on. I shrieked. It was an African American girl, about my age, with huge wings extending from her back. A young blonde boy with gray wings flew over to join her. "Don't you people ever learn?" The boy asked.

"Yeah, like, we're not stupid," The girl backed him up. "We _have_ a cell phone jammer. We knew you were coming, like, half an hour ago."

"Who-who a-a-are you?" I was struggling to control my voice. My whole body was shaking.

"That's of no importance to you," A voice said from the shadows next to the winged kids. A new figure emerged and I stifled another shriek. This girl had brown hair and yellow eyes, slitted like a cat's. She had a yellow spotted tail and matching fur down her arms and legs and face. Thorn-sharp black claws were extended from each of her fingers. I backed away.

"I'm sure the master will be very pleased to have a new prisoner. It's been so…quiet," She purred. I focused on not hyperventilating. "The others are outside scaring off your friends." As soon as she finished her sentence, I heard terrified screams and a car starting and rolling away. "Naughty, naughty, bringing a gun. Master won't be pleased." I heard a deep growling behind me and the _clack-clack_ of claws on marble. Hot breath stirred my hair. "Why, here's the Master now," She said delightedly. I slowly turned around. This time I couldn't hold it in. I screamed as loud as I could.

A monster. A werewolf. A beast. Those were the thoughts that swirled in my head as I looked at the creature in front of me. He (I think it was a he) would easily be seven feet tall standing upright on his hind legs, but he was down on all fours. He had long claws extending from the end of each finger (his front paws looked more like hands than actual paws), and he had a tail twitching irritably behind him. He had black fur covering every inch of his monstrous body and his face looked like a wolf's, with a long, pointed snout and curved white incisors. "Well, well, a new victim." He snarled. I noticed that the only things that didn't match the "wolf" description were his eyes. Instead of yellow, they were such a deep black that I could barely see them against his fur. I noticed his back paws actually looked like paws instead of feet.

"Wha-wha-what do you w-want," I stammered.

"Why, just to teach you a lesson of course. Normally, I just have one of my servants wipe intruders memories completely before I send them somewhere completely exotic. They're never heard from again."

"Can we keep her?" The winged girl asked. "I need a new model for my clothes. And I need a human face besides mine to make over. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have a new palette for Iggy to feed. We have that spare room in the dungeon. She can stay for a few weeks, right?" The "Master" tilted his head, thinking about it.

"Fine," He said, "Lock her away." The girls grabbed my arms and dragged me kicking and screaming to the dungeon. I wished Max were here. She could have gotten me out of this. But my sister wouldn't be back from college for another three days. I could only hope she would come after me then.

I was roughly slammed into cold, hard stone. "Stay in here and chill out. I'll be back tomorrow to dress you like a princess! Lots of pinching and squeezing to make the clothes fit, of course. And some of the make-up I test might burn." The winged girl laughed and my captors headed back upstairs.

I cried myself to sleep against the cold concrete floor of my cell. All of this for a date with a cute guy? Definitely not worth it. Not even for Ryan Bernoth.

**Nudge POV:**

"Good work," I giggled to Eliza as we headed upstairs to meet up with the others. We high-fived. When we got there Iggy, Angel, Gazzy, Owen, and Jennifer were all looking at Fang, the Master.

"She's all locked up Fang," I said cheerfully.

Fang snarled, "You will refer to me as "Master" while we have prisoner. These hallways carry sound." I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "You _will_ call me Master!" He roared. I felt his leadership-control-power-thing press against my mind.

"Yes, master," I said meekly. The Master turned to Angel.

"What is the prisoner thinking?" He demanded of her. Angel could read minds, a very handy power for warding off intruders. She would tell us they were coming and we would scare the crap out of them to make them leave. Or Angel would erase their memories and the Master would have me and Gazzy fly them somewhere far away. It depended on how much they saw.

"She's hoping her sister will come get her in a few days," Angel reported. "And all this trouble wasn't worth a date with one of those guys outside with the gun."

"Hell no," I muttered.

Fang nodded. "Good work. You know the drill, keep her alive, give her no information. We'll just have to wait and see if this sister shows up." He stalked away upstairs.

"He's so cheery," Jennifer said, rolling her eyes.

Iggy turned his sightless eyes back to us. "You guys hungry? We'll eat, then bring the prisoner some leftovers." We nodded and headed to the kitchen. I couldn't help wondering if the girl's sister would come. It would certainly liven up our week. Things get awful boring after being cursed for three-hundred years.

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**There it is. I hope it wasn't too terrible. Max will be in the next chapter. Once again, I promise this won't be very cliché. There's a twist coming in a few chapters, one that's not in any other versions! (That I've read or seen.)**

**Sorry, I meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot.**

**Review please! I'll give you metaphorical bacon! Or at least fast updates.**


	2. Maxie's Home

Chapter 2: Maxie's Home

**Thanks to all the nice people who reviewed. This chapter isn't so great, but the next one will be better. Bare with me!**

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**Max POV:**

I drove up the driveway of my house. I hated college. Not only was I dumber than a brick, it meant I was away from home for way longer than I liked. There was only one bright side to university…but enough about my personal life. I was home, where my mom and sister were inside making cookies to welcome me home. I hope.

I walked inside, and the first thing I noticed was the smell, or the absence of it. No cookie scent. The second was nobody was there to greet me. (Okay, maybe I need to work a little on my priorities.) "Mom?" I called, "I'm home!"

Dr. Martinez, my mother, the vet, came down the stairs. Her eyes and cheeks were stained red with tears. "Oh, Max, hi. I d-didn't hear you." She hiccupped. "I-it's just, your sis-sister…"

I pulled her into a hug. "Mom, what's wrong?" I asked, all business. "Where's Ella?"

Mom looked up at me. "I have no idea. She went out with some friends Friday night and hasn't been back since."

I thought about it. "Who did she go with?"

"Ryan Bernoth."

I stiffened, the last name striking a nerve. I got over it. "Where is he?"

"Still in school."

I nodded, thinking. "What have you done to try and find Ella?"

Mom thought about it. "Well, I filed a missing persons report with the police and they interrogated Ryan but he wouldn't give them any information. They said he couldn't remember anything that happened that night. They even tried using a polygraph on him, but he was telling the truth. It's very odd."

"Where did they go?"

"Ella said Ryan was taking her to dinner and a movie."

I nodded and turned to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Mom asked me.

I didn't even turn around. "To question Ryan Bernoth." I slammed the door, cutting off Mom's protest.

I started my car. How _dare_ Ryan lose my little sister. And when his older brother was…never mind.

School was just getting out when I arrived. My old high school. Perfect. I put on my sunglasses and climbed out of the car. Ryan and a couple of his friends were lounging just outside the school doors. Girls were shooting him longing glances from all angles. I walked up to him. "Hey Bernoth!"

He turned to tell me off, then caught sight of who I actually was. He paled. "Max, uh, hi. How's Dyl-" I grabbed the front of his shirt and pinned him up against the wall. No point in wasting time with small talk.

"What did you do to my sister, you asshole!" I would have called him a son of a bitch, but his mom was really nice. No need to insult her.

"Nothing!" Ryan wailed trying to get out of my grasp.

I got right in his face, "You listen to me Ryan. You mess with the bull, you get the horns. Now where the Hell is my sister!" I screamed.

Students and faculty alike were gathering around to watch us, and if it had been anyone else in any other situation they probably would have called the cops. But I was Maximum "Max Ride" Martinez, well known for my violent tendencies, and this wimp I was holding by the collar had made my sister go missing somehow.

"She vanished! I haven't seen her!"

"Where did you really go Friday?" No way Ella would have gotten lost at a movie. She had a rape whistle. I twisted his shirt again.

Ryan screamed, "WE TOOK HER TO THE MANSION!"

For a moment, I was silent, taking in all the implications of that statement. "You. What?" I said very slowly. I was trying my best not to explode.

"Alex, John, and I took Ella to the Mansion on Friday. She was our lookout." He cringed as my hands tightened on his collar, "Other than that I honestly can't remember anything! I woke up in my bed."

I remembered that Mom said they had used a lie detector on Ryan, so I dropped him just a voice behind me said, "Max? What are you _doing_?"

I froze, and turned around to see Ryan's older brother walking towards us. Most of the students had dissipated with the teachers help, but I could still hear them talking nervously as they left.

"Dylan," I said sheepishly. "Hey babe, what goes on?" I asked my boyfriend as though I _hadn't_ just beaten up his little brother.

Yes, I was dating Ryan Bernoth's older brother Dylan. He was the only bright side to being at college. I had never been very popular, so I was thrilled when _someone_ with a heartbeat asked me out. Not just someone, but possibly the hottest male at my school. We had been dating for almost two years, and we couldn't have been happier. However, I wasn't big on the whole "romance" and "emotions" stuff, so as happy as Dylan made me, I didn't like to talk about it.

"I come to pick up my little bro from school and find you torturing him…why?"

I frowned. "He took my sister to the Mansion Friday night and no one has seen her since."

Dylan looked at Ryan, appalled, "Tell me she's not serious."

Ryan turned away, "Well…"

Dylan sighed. "Mom will hear about this," Then he turned to me, "What are you going to do?"

I set my mouth into a hard line. "I'm going after Ella."

"Now?"

"Yes. No point in wasting time."

"I'll come too," Dylan said.

I kissed his mouth softly. "No. You need to bring your brother home and tell my mom where I've gone," Dylan frowned, but I continued before he could object, "Besides, if anyone can come back alive it's me, right?"

Dylan sighed in defeat. "Fine. Come back soon." We kissed again and I got into my car. Ella, here I come.

**Angel POV:**

I sat up from the poker game I was dominating, instantly alert. I could hear the thoughts of someone coming.

"What do you think of this?" Nudge asked, twirling Ella around in a tight purple dress with matching make-up. This was about her twentieth outfit.

"I never thought I'd be tired of being dressed up like a princess and made-over," Ella whined mournfully. _Max, where are you?_ Her thoughts asked.

_Closer than you think._ I thought to myself. _Nudge, Ella's sister is coming. Get Ella into her own clothes. Don't tell her anything, I'll get Fang. I mean, "The Master"._

_Roger that!_ Nudge pulled Ella back upstairs as Jennifer finished complimenting the color with Ella's skin. Of course, we just called her "Prisoner" to her face.

_Master? _I thought tentatively. Fang's mind was a dangerous place to journey. He was easily irritated.

_Yes?_ He replied gruffly, knowing I wouldn't bother him while he was in his room unless it was vital.

_I think Ella's sister is coming. What should we do?_

_How far away is she?_

I checked. _I think she's about half an hour away._

Master nodded mentally. _Hide. I want to talk to this "sister"._

I relayed the message to the others and told Fang what I could find of Ella's sister Max's life story as we waited.

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**See, I told you. *Sigh***

**Ok, if you're not one of the people just reading this because you read What Happens In Vegas and I told you to, here's the plan. I'm going to update (hopefully) every other weekend. I'll alternate updating stories each week, so if you read both of my stories, you get an update every weekend! So, if you are one of the above people, check out my other story.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	3. Trade Off

Chapter 3: Trade-Off

**Whoa! I got almost 20 reviews for the last chapter alone! (That weren't from the same person.) Thank you guys so much.**

**Hey, I lOvE gIrAfFeS, I love you. Seriously, your enthusiasm is amazing, but I gave you a schedule. I'm not dead, but I'll be updating on the weekend and alternating stories each time. Chill, I've got it. I'm uber-glad you love my stories though. You win my awesomely-enthusiastic reviewer award! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

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**Max POV:**

I climbed out of my car and looked up at the Mansion's menacing gates. This place looked a lot less scary during the day. With the gardens that were somehow perfectly kept to the long cobblestone path to the door, it was almost beautiful. I took a deep breath and walked past the gate.

Once I got inside, I knew something was wrong. I felt it in my gut. The door slammed behind me and I turned around to see…an angel. Literally. A little girl with blonde hair, big blue eyes, and pure white wings stood in front of the door. "Hello Max. We've been waiting for you for quite a while." Whoa, how did this little freak know my name?

"Oh goody, she came!" I turned to see three more girls coming down the ornate staircase. One was African-American with wide brown wings, one had brown hair and cheetah fur, and the last girl had black hair, green eyes, and bat wings. I focused on not wetting myself or screaming. I was Maximum Ride, the invincible. I wasn't scared of freak kids.

Then a boy that also had black hair and bat wings came downstairs. "So you must be Max? We've heard a lot about you from your sister," The girls all grinned as though at some private joke. "The Master will be right down to greet you. It's been so long since we had a visitor that wasn't trying to pull a prank or stunt."

A tall boy with strawberry-blonde hair and pale yellow wings fluttered in from upstairs, holding Ella in his arms. She was bound and gagged, but her eyes met mine and pleaded for help. A smaller boy that looked very similar to the angel girl but with gray wings followed. Then I heard growling and heavy footsteps. Very slowly, I turned to my left.

A huge wolf stood there, all black and hairy. I took several steps back and almost ran into the bat-girl, who stepped away. I was really, really focused on not having a full-scale panic attack by now; I barely heard the words one of the animal-kids was saying. "Oh look, the Master! He'll talk to you about getting the prisoner back."

"All of you leave but Owen and Angel," the "Master" said. I was trying not to have a heart attack just by being within twenty feet of the monster, but I saw all of the other kids besides the first little girl and the bat-boy walk/crawl/fly up the staircase. "Max, isn't it? I understand you want your sister back?"

I nodded, and my voice wavered slightly when I spoke, "Please, give me my little sister back. She didn't mean it, that asshole boy she was with tricked her."

"And you came alone?" The Master asked. He sat down on his back haunches like a dog and looked at me with black eyes that seemed genuinely intrigued.

"Yes." He looked around me at the girl who was apparently actually named _Angel_.

"She's alone," Angel confirmed, "She's overconfident."

"Hey! Standing right here!" I said.

Angel just cocked her head. "They say the first step to fixing the problem is admitting you have one. I thought I could help by pointing it out to you!" She said happily. Before I could respond, the beast cut in.

"Angel, that's irrelevant. You answered my question," He turned to fix me with his black stare again. His eyes were big and surprisingly…_human_. I could almost picture a man staring at me with those eyes. They were deep and amazingly sexy-whoa, what am I thinking? Maybe I should be hospitalized.

"Max, we have a secret to keep. It would damage our reputation if we just let you both go back."

"We wouldn't say anything!" I pleaded. "Please give her back. She doesn't deserve this. She has a whole future ahead of her!" _Unlike me_, I thought. The Master cocked his head as though he were listening to something.

"Untie her," he barked to Owen the bat-kid. My heart lifted, but I stayed on my toes. This wasn't over, and I was smart enough to know it. "Okay Max, I'll make you a deal. You caught me on a good day, and I'm in a generous mood. Ella can go, if-" My heart sank again. Of course there was a catch. "You stay instead. Or I'll keep Ella and let the girls continue using her as a human Barbie doll."

"That's not anywhere near as fun as it sounds!" Ella piped up, now free.

I stood, thinking about it. If anyone could survive and get out of here, it was me. If not, Dylan knew where I was, and could get help and come free me. "I'll stay."

"What? No! Max you can't!" Ella ran over to me. "You have a future too! What about finishing college?"

"Ella, I wasn't very sure I was going to finish college anyway. I'm not exactly a brainiac. You have senior year coming up, and you can't miss that! Even _I_ enjoyed senior prom."

"Max, I know what you're thinking, but Dylan won't be able to come for you. I know what they do. Angel has mind powers; she erases everyone's memory about this place. If you stay, no one will know where you are. As far as they're concerned, you'll just have vanished off the face of the Earth!" She stopped for a moment and looked at me curiously. "Speaking of which, how did you know where I was?"

"I'd like to know that too," The monster wolf said, turning to Angel.

"Ryan told me. I had to beat him up first, but yeah. All he remembered was that you guys had come to the Mansion Friday night, then he woke up in his bed and no one knew where you were." I said.

The Master turned to Angel, glaring a question at her. "Sorry! I thought I got it all." Angel squeaked.

He turned away from her. "You'll have to fix him when you bring one of these two back."

"When you bring _Ella_ back," I said firmly.

"Max, no! Honestly, I don't mind being dressed up that much. Nudge has good fashion sense, even if she plays dress-up violently."

I did hate dresses and make-up, but I wasn't going to negotiate this. Sure, Ella's mind-wiping thing put a slight damper on my plan, but I could still escape. Or tough it out.

"Ella, I won't argue about this anymore."

"What about Dylan? What will he say when you're gone?" I flinched. We both knew Dylan would be devastated, but I was taking one for the team. It's not like anyone else would miss me.

"You know, if it's this hard for you to decide, I can just keep both of you," I turned to see the Beast…_smirking_ at me. I didn't think it was possible for a wolf to smirk, but then I saw that. My blood boiled. In case you hadn't guessed, I don't take mocking well. His eyes were glowing with amusement.

"How would that help?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "I was trying to find a compromise. This is taking forever. Besides, Dylan could always get a new girlfriend. You seem pretty high maintenance anyway."

I gasped, "Oh, like _you_ would be a great boyfriend. If you weren't busy eating the girl."

"Some girls find licking and biting sexy." The smirk was back.

"From a man, not a monster."

"How would you know? How many monsters have you kissed?" Now he was standing, but it looked playful, like when a dog drops its front legs down and raises its butt.

"None. They aren't exactly common."

"Guys!" Ella said. "I think we may have gotten off topic."

"I agree," I said, turning back to Ella. "We were talking about you leaving."

She opened her mouth to protest again, but I turned to Mr. I'm-A-Sexy-Beast and said, "I'm staying."

He nodded. "Take Ella back. Thoroughly wipe her and anyone else who knows about her leaving," he barked at Angel and the other boy before calling for someone named Nudge. (What's with that name? Poor kid.) The African-American girl with wings came downstairs.

"Ye-es?" she said in a sing-songy voice.

The wolf-man motioned to me with his snout and said, "Lock her up. We have a new guest." Of course by "guest" he really meant "prisoner".

Nudge looked at me. "Say your goodbyes sweetie. You won't being seeing Ella for a while."

I turned to Ella, who was now crying. "I don't want to!" she wailed, throwing her arms around me.

"You have to," I was proud that my voice didn't shake as I hugged her back. "It's okay. I'll be out before you know it."

Angel took Ella's hand and led her outside. I watched my baby sister walk away, knowing I may never see her again. I turned back to my captor. "Happy now?"

He just turned away. Nudge pulled me downstairs into a dark room with twin jail cells facing each other. "You'll have to stay down here until The Master decides what to do with you. You're lucky though; he's never let anyone go back home like that," she looked me over, "'Course, you _are_ quite the bombshell…," Nudge trailed off as she locked the door.

As she walked upstairs, I went and sat in the corner of my little cell. I don't care why he kept me. Whether or not he thought I was a bombshell, I would never return the feeling. He was a monster, literally and figuratively. He took me from my boyfriend, my mom, and my baby sister. I made a promise to myself right then.

I refused to love him.

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**Okay, if this story keeps getting the amount of reviews it got for the last chapter, I may have to rethink my schedule. However, I will be keeping it for a few more chapters to see how it goes. I didn't forget or anything, don't worry. And please, don't bug me about it. I've got finals this month and stuff, so I'm busy. I'll do the best I can! **

**I went to the Stroll for Epilepsy this morning. My mom's job sponsors it. We walked around the zoo and did this dance called the "Stomp" (Someone at Mom's job made it up) and raised $260,000 or something (I think). It was sooooo fun! We've gone the past four years and I never get tired of it. We're getting closer to, as they say, "stomping out epilepsy"!**

**In case you didn't get the message, REVIEW! I still love them. They may lead to faster updates in the future.**


	4. Moving In

Chapter 4: Moving In

**Sorry, the part I'm at in my other story is really fun to write. But I'm updating now! :D**

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**Max POV:**

One week. I had been living in this hellhole for one whole week, and I was bored out of my mind. I had been sitting in my cell and bouncing the rubber ball Nudge had brought me. She said the only way I could come out of my cell was if I played dress-up with her; sadly, that was starting to sound like a good idea.

I went to the bathroom in a little toilet in the corner of my stall. One of the animal kids would bring me food and water for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At least I was well taken care of. I hadn't seen the Master/beast guy since he had condemned me to this dungeon. Seriously? Who still _has_ a dungeon? Besides them, apparently.

I was starting to wonder if they weren't planning to let me go at all. Maybe they wanted to keep me here. If so, we needed to have a talk about living arrangements.

When Jennifer, the bat-girl, brought me dinner that night, I decided to ask, "Hey Jen?" she looked warily at me. "How long am I going to be here, exactly? Because if you aren't planning on wiping my memory and dumping me in Kenya soon, can I at least have a better place to stay?"

She was quiet for a moment, "I'll ask Fa-the Master," her mouth snapped shut and her eyes grew huge as if she had done something wrong. Then Jennifer turned and went upstairs, leaving me to grin as I ate my dinner. She would ask!

**Jennifer POV:**

"Master?" I called once I reached the top of the stairs from the cellar. I knew he could hear me, no matter where in the house he was.

His claws clattered as he leapt down the stairs, "Yes?"

I bit my lip. Talking to Fang when he was in monster form made me nervous. He was much more relaxed when he was normal. "The prisoner Max brought up a good point. She wants better living conditions if she's going to be staying here for a while."

Master sat back on his haunches as he thought, "Group meeting. Get the others and meet me in the living room in ten minutes," He stalked off.

I walked around the whole mansion, getting Nudge and Angel from Nudge's room, my brother Owen from the garden, Iggy from the kitchen, Gazzy from his room, and Eliza from the rooftop. I still managed to make into the den in under ten minutes, so I was pretty impressed with myself.

We sat on the couches or on the floor as Fang paced in front of us. "What would you guys think about Max permanently moving in with us?"

There was a brief, stunned silence before Nudge started, "Whoa, really? That's great! It's been so boring with nothing changing for hundreds of years! I bet she would make things exciting, at least for a little while. Why did you offer? Is it because you think she's sexy, cuz Angel said-"

"Nudge!" Fang barked, and I knew he was blushing furiously under all that fur. Nudge's mouth snapped shut.

"If you like her that much, just turn human again and take your shirt off for her. She'll melt into a little puddle of prisoner," Eliza said with a grin.

Fang glared at her, "Glad you think so highly of my abs. Besides, you know I gave up being human thirty years ago. I don't plan to change that. I offered because it would be nice to have some new blood around here to make things interesting. If you think it's so stupid I'll relocate her tonight."

Immediate protests ensued until Fang barked again. "All right, she can stay." said the Master before turning to me and Gazzy.

"Go prepare the third room on the second floor. Max will stay there," he turned to Iggy, "Go get her and tell her she can move." We nodded and headed off to do our respective jobs. Fang turned to look out the window, his long tail swaying slowly.

**Iggy POV:**

I carefully walked down the thirty-two stairs to the "dungeon". It was really just our cellar, but when teenagers had decided to pay frequent visits, Fang, or "the Master", decided to renovate and put in cell blocks.

I heard the shifting sound of cloth on stone as Max twisted to look at me. "What?" she snapped.

"You're being moved. Turns out you'll be sticking around for a while," I was met with stunned silence, and I wished I could see her face. (I'm blind, in case you couldn't figure it out.)

"I get a real room?" asked the prisoner. "No joke?" I could hear a smile in her tone. I nodded. "Awesome!" I heard her jump to her feet. I grabbed the keys and opened her door. She pushed past me violently and ran upstairs, and I followed as quickly as I could.

"Where is it?" Max demanded.

"It's on the second floor. Third door on the left," I couldn't stop my pervy self from following up with, "It's right down the hall from me, so…feel free to spend the night," I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

I heard Max's appalled gasp, "You _wish _freak."

Nudge's footsteps tapped on the stairs. "Good, you're here."

Max responded with, "Where else would I be? It's not like I have much of a choice," her tone full of undisguised venom.

"Hey, be glad you get to stay. You're the first person who's ever gotten that offer," I heard Nudge bounce down until she was right next to Max. "You could be in Pakistan with no memories right now.

"I'll take her from here Iggy," Nudge said to me. I nodded and headed back to the kitchen to make a special dinner for the new girl's arrival. I knew a change in personality was just what our cursed souls needed.

**Max POV:**

"Here you go!" Nudge proudly opened her arms to show me my room. I couldn't help smiling a little.

The room had pale blue walls with gold trim and a bedspread that matched. The dresser and vanity were white, and so were the to adjoining doors that I assumed led to the bathroom and closet.

"Can I get any of my old stuff from my house?"

Nudge frowned. "Nope. But I promise to take you shopping tomorrow and buy you a whole new wardrobe!" I grimaced, because Nudge and I had very different fashion tastes.

"Fine. But _I_ get to pick out my clothes!"

Nudge pouted but came over to sit on my bed. "Whatever. Now it's my job to get you up to speed on the workings of the house," she grinned, "So I'll just tell you everything I'm allowed to.

"Iggy, that's the blind perverted guy, and Owen, the boy with the bat wings, are the only two of us that still have normal jobs around the house. Iggy is the cook-"

"The blind guy _cooks_?" I interrupted.

"Yeah, and he's really good at it. Anyway, Owen is the gardener, but that's more of a hobby. He has bat wings. And of course F-the Master bosses us around."

"Does he have a real name?" I asked.

"Huh?" Insert Nudge's confused/clearly lying face here.

I frowned at her, "The bat-girl-"

"Jennifer."

"Yeah, Jennifer, she almost did the same thing earlier. Started to say something starting with "F" but changed and said "the Master". Does he have a casual name or something?"

Nudge chewed her bottom lip before saying, "I'm not allowed to tell you. I'm sure he will tell you though, since, you know, you live with us now and all," she kept talking before I could carry on the subject. "Anyway, you know me, I'm Nudge. I have wings, like Angel, Iggy, and Gazzy. Angel can read minds-slash-erase memories. She helpful when we're being invaded. The Gasman-or Gazzy or Gasser for short-has a digestive problem, hence why we call him "the Gasman"." I crinkled up my nose.

"Eliza is the girl with cheetah fur, but believe me, she's all bark and no bite. You just need to give her a few days. Jennifer has bat wings too, and she's actually Owen's bio-sister," Nudge smiled. "Just don't get on Master's bad side and you'll be fine. We go into town for shopping and stuff sometimes, so it's not total solitary confinement."

I nodded, "Can I have some time alone? I just need to let it sink in."

"Of course. Someone'll get you when dinner is ready," said Nudge before she flounced out the door. I took deep breaths and tried not to cry. I didn't do emotions. I just leaned back and closed my eyes, still wishing I would wake up.

* * *

I heard my door open, and Master poked his head in. "Dinner."

"You could knock," I pointed out, "What if I had been naked?"

He looked back at me with an amused expression as I followed him downstairs. "I don't think it would have been a problem. It's not like you much to look at."

I gasped and glared, then remembered my earlier talk with Nudge. "So, do you have a real name? I highly doubt your birth certificate said "the Master" on it, and it seems like the animal freaks know it."

He was quiet for a long moment before he grunted "Fang."

I blinked, and my lips quirked, "Fang? Seriously?"

Fang's turn to glare as we walked into the kitchen, which smelled amazing. "Nudge picked it out because i hate my real one. It's either that or Master. Your choice."

I shrugged and sat down. Iggy and Owen gave us all plates of parmesian chicken with garlic bread and alfredo noodles. My stomach growled. "So, do you like your room?" Jennifer asked. I turned away from Fang, who was sitting on the floor like a dog but eating like a human with utensils and everything.

"Yeah, but i liked my old one better," I said and Fang rolled his eyes.

Eliza smirked, "Don't worry, Iggy's so sex-deprived I'm sure he'll share."

"Yeah, he already offered." I said while Iggy protested the he wasn't sex-deprived. I smiled, knowing they were just joking. I already felt like part of the family. My eyes drifted over towards Fang again, who was watching the kids bicker with a fatherly pride. He caught staring and cocked his head.

"Can I help you?" I blushed and looked away, wishing that those amazing eyes belonged to someone else. Anyone else, because I refused to be hypnotized by Fang. But his eyes made the room spin, dragging me into their endless depths. What was wrong with me?

* * *

**There you go. I'll update regularly from now on. You know, as far as I know.**

**Just to clear up any confusion, yes Fang is the Master, and I envision him to look like how an Eraser looks in my head. Hope that helps.**

**Have you guys seen the Charlie Sheen auto-tune by schmoyoho? (The people who did bed intruder?) It's hilarious. There's a link on my profile page.**

**REVIEW! You don't want me to skip updating again, do you?**


	5. Confusion

Chapter 5: Confusion

**Disclaimer: Do I own the copyrighted stuff? Wait for it…no!**

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**Max POV:**

It had now been a month since I was kidnapped. My birthday was two weeks away, but I hadn't told anyone. Angel knew, of course, but I had asked her not to say anything. Did she listen? Probably not, but since no one had mentioned it, I just pretended that it wasn't happening because it brought back too many memories.

I missed Dylan and my family, but other than Fang-sorry, "the Master"-my life here wasn't actually so bad. Nudge had taken me shopping like she said, and we had actually ended up getting some pretty good stuff once I weeded out everything pink, sparkly, or overly revealing. Nudge pouted for about three days straight because I had thrown away about half of my new wardrobe, but that was okay with us because she didn't talk much.

Iggy was still perverted and annoying, but he was quickly becoming my best friend. He was an idiot, but something about him amused me. Apparently they were millionaires, but Nudge said it was probably better if I didn't know where they got there money. I figured she was probably right.

We had a movie party on Friday night. We sat down and watched _The Social Network_ and _Inception_. We were going to stay up all night, but some stupid teenagers showed up and we had to stop right before starting our _Star Wars_-athon. I stayed back as Gazzy and Iggy used smoke bombs and lights to scare them off. Angel wiped their minds and sent them home. I felt weird afterwards, so I went upstairs to lie down.

I stared at the ceiling thinking of Ella and other people who had lost family members because of Fang. He was in charge, so it was his fault. What was wrong with him? This wasn't like Beauty and the Beast, where the ugly beast was really a pretty decent guy. Fang was an asshole, and fur or no fur, he always would be. He took people and placed them far away. Hundreds were probably dead because of him, but did he care? No. No he didn't.

Iggy had taught me how to block my mind from Angel's mind-reading powers, so I did right before I decided something. I was leaving. I loved the mutant kids, but I couldn't stay here, away from my family and stuck only with Fang. I hated him, and I hated it here. As my birthday present to myself, I was going to break out. I had two weeks to figure out a plan, then it was good-bye mutants and hello normal life. I just had to get out without someone reporting me to Fang.

I began speculating ways to escape when my door opened and, speak of the devil, Fang prowled in. I sat up and glared at the bane of my existence. "What do you want? And why do you refuse to knock?"

He sat down and shrugged. "I don't think there's anything you could be doing in here that I would mind seeing since Iggy is downstairs."

My glare got stronger. "What on Earth would I be doing with Iggy? I do still have a boyfriend, you know!"

Fang smirked, "Of course. Silly me."

"What do you need? Or did you just want to bother me?"

Fang's gaze softened. "You got all weird earlier. I was checking that you were okay."

I was thrown off guard but still suspicious. "Why? You don't care about anything, much less me," I let some of the poison from my earlier thoughts seep into my tone.

He jumped on to my bed next to me, making me move. I couldn't help but notice that he didn't smell wild or like a dog at all. He had an indescribable scent, sort of cinnamon and fresh cut grass and something foresty. I wanted to bury my face in his fur and inhale deeper, drawing the smell into me, but I didn't. That would be weird. Maybe I should see a doctor?

Fang turned to look at me, his endless black eyes boring into mine. Why did his eyes have to be so gorgeous? Scratch that last sentence please.

"I know you think I'm a heartless monster," Because you are. "But I do care about my family. And you're part of our family Max, whether you like it or not. We care about you." His eyes dropped. "I care about you."

My heart started pumping funny, the way it did when Dylan kissed me or even just leaned too close. Wait, why was it doing that? Fang just meant in a protective, sisterly way, right? But something in his mortified expression showed me that he not only didn't mean it that way, he hadn't meant to say it at all.

Fang cleared his throat to stop the awkward silence. "Well…just remember, if you need anything…I'm here," He practically sprinted out the door. I fell back on my pillows. They still smelled like him.

What was going on? I hated Fang! I had wonderful, handsome, _human_ boyfriend waiting for me back home, one who was loving and friendly and open. So why did I feel such a pull to Fang? He was a horrible monster that kidnapped people and deported them, and I had known him for only a month! He had also just basically admitted that he at least had some feelings about me. It was now official. I had to leave, immediately.

But if I wanted to leave this place for my family and significant other, why did I feel a slight pang in my heart at the thought of leaving? I told myself I just didn't want to leave Iggy and the others. I repeated it so many times as I got on my pajamas and climbed into bed that I almost believed it before I turned off my light for the night. Almost.

* * *

I smelled Iggy's special Sunday night dinner as I neared the kitchen. It had been two days since Fang's accidental "confession". We had come to sort of unspoken agreement not to mention it, so life had gone on as normal, with him bugging the Hell out of me and me threatening his life. We were much happier like that than as a couple, right?

"Whatcha making Igs?" I asked, breaking out of my thoughts.

"Chicken. I did a whole bunch of other stuff to it, but your itty-bitty brain probably couldn't handle all of the culinary terms," I punched him in the arm but silently agreed. Me plus kitchen usually equaled fire and destruction. I preferred to just watch Iggy cook and listen to him talk. You know, when I could understand him.

I heard a near silent shuffling behind me and turned to see Fang coming in as Iggy took five perfectly cooked chickens out of the oven. We ate a lot, okay?

"That looks great." I said as I watched Fang sit near the table and look at us.

"You want to help me finish it off?" Iggy asked.

"I like my mansion intact, thank you." Fang said from the other side of the kitchen.

I frowned and looked at him. "Can we help you?"

He shook his head. "I was just hungry, but if you're cooking, maybe I'm not anymore."

Obviously Angel had told him about my cooking skills. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I know I'm delicious too, but there's no need to lick your lips at me." Fang said.

I spun around with the cutting knife I was using on the lemons pointing at him and threatened to stab him. He just laughed and before we could stop him, Fang lunged forward and tore a drumstick off of one of the chickens. He tossed it in the air and swallowed it whole.

"Hey, that isn't done!" Iggy protested.

Fang just turned and trotted out the door. I tried taking out my anger on the lemon I was cutting into slivers for Iggy, pretending it was Fang's stupid face. How could I even begin to think I loved him? I was distracted as Iggy made me laugh, but an escape plan had suddenly started budding in the back of my mind. Normal boyfriend, here I come.

* * *

**I'm sorry it took so long just to give you that, but I was super busy and I have band camp, so I'm trying. On the plus side, no more writer's block! I know exactly what to do now, so I'll update soon. I promise I won't give you and author's note this time. Of course, reviews may motivate me to write faster..._*wink, wink/ nudge, nudge*_**


	6. Escape

**Chapter 6:**** Escape**

**So sorry for the long wait! I wanted to update yesterday, but I didn't have time. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or the plot of the book she's reading in this chapter.**

* * *

**Max POV:**

It was one day before my twenty-first birthday, and I was sitting in my sanctuary listening to music and reading. Yes, I, the great Max Ride, was sitting in a garden and reading. What have these monsters done to me?

My "sanctuary" was a little corner of the garden the Owen had set up for me a few days after I officially "moved in". It was full of sweet-smelling, colorful flowers with tall bushes blocking it from view if you looked from the Mansion. A white lattice laced with floral vines was the roof, and I had a comfortable lawn chair right in the middle.

We had come to the agreement that I could only be bothered here if it was something important, like food. Since I didn't have my iPod or anything, I was forced to read or draw to pass the time. I can't even draw stick figures without them looking like they're having seizures, so I was slowly reading my way through the huge library upstairs.

Anyway, I was planning to escape that night. I had my mind blocked since I decided to leave, and I told Angel that I just wanted my privacy at least in my own mind. She was suspicious, but what could she do about it? My mind was blocked.

My plan was simple. I was going to come out to my little garden corner after dinner tonight. I didn't have any belongings here besides clothes, so I didn't even bother packing. I figured out that by putting my foot between one of the supports for the roof and the wall around the grounds of the house, I could climb over and have easy access into the woods and to my home.

I had only one concern. The woods were full of ultra-strong wolves with a strange hunger for human. Apparently, some genetic lab had been experimenting with them a katrillion years ago, and the wolves had been living and breeding here ever since they escaped. I was just planning on crossing my fingers and staying on the main path on the way home.

There was one thing scaring me more than wolves, though. If one thing was scarier than wolves, it was the idea of how pissed Fang would be if I was caught and brought back. Whether the anger was out of concern or not, it wouldn't be pretty.

I put my bookmark into my book and headed inside. Iggy was making lasagna, Nudge and Angel were watching the Disney Channel, and Eliza was curled up on a patch of sun-warmed tile, taking a cat nap. I had no idea where everyone else was, but dinner was almost ready, so I knew they'd be down soon.

I sat down next to Nudge and watched brain-melting sitcoms until Iggy finally called that dinner was ready.

As we all gathered around the dinner table, Fang brushed against me and I caught a whiff of the strangely intoxicating smell that coated his fur. It was almost better than the smell of Iggy's signature lasagna, but in a different way. I then thanked God above that I had my mind blocked, because never would have let me hear the end of it if Angel told him I thought he smelled nice. Beyond nice.

"Whoa, Max. I promise the lasagna won't vanish if you take to long to eat it!" Iggy exclaimed as I inhaled it.

"Well, with you, I can't be sure," I said after I swallowed.

Jennifer grinned. "You don't trust Iggy, but you're scarfing down the food he made without hesitation?" I froze and gently pushed my plate away, making everyone laugh but Fang, who just smiled softly.

I was a little out of it for the rest of dinner. My time for escape was quickly approaching, but my preoccupation was making Angel suspicious. As we finished and I announced that I was heading back out to the garden, Angel stopped me by the front door.

"What are you hiding from me?" Angel demanded.

I played innocent. "What do you mean? What on Earth would I want to hide from you?"

Angel's eyes narrowed. "That's what I want to know. I may not look like it, but I'm very old Max. I know you're lying to me. You're mind has been blocked for the past two weeks and you've been acting weird."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an amazing book to continue reading," I pushed past her and headed outside. I could feel her glare burning against my back as I walked outside. I then froze, turned around, and went inside.

I climbed up the stairs to the upstairs library where I located and took the sequel to the book I was reading. I wasn't packing, but I needed the sequel. Nudge said the third book was out too, but we hadn't had time to go get it yet.

I sat down with the iTouch Nudge had bought me and read another three chapters of my book before I put in my bookmark, grabbed the book and the sequel, and put them into my shirt so they were supported on my bra. What? How else was I supposed to climb over the wall with them?

I clumsily slid over the wall and on to the dry grass on the other side. I guess this is one case where the grass _wasn't_ greener on the other side. You know, literally. I think life would be better at home and not here.

You know what, I know I'll start talking about Fang if I don't change topics, so I'll tell you about my amazing books. They're about this girl who is in love with a fallen angel, but every time they meet and kiss, she bursts into flames but gets reborn with no memories of him until they meet again every seventeen years. It's kind of confusing but they're really, really good.

I was now a good distance away from the mansion and it was quickly getting dark. At least it wasn't a full moon. It was only a half moon, luckily, because I was already scared out my mind. I just hugged my books tighter and kept walking.

I was about halfway between the Mansion and my house when I heard a snarling in the trees. I froze and turned slowly as a pack of wolves slid out of the trees and onto the path. The animals were gray and lanky and definitely looked like they wanted human flesh. I stepped back knowing there wasn't an escape. As they started to advance, one lunged forward and I could literally hear its teeth snap an inch from my arm. I turned and sprinted to the nearest tree.

One of them tore at my shirt as I scrambled up as high as I could. Without wasting another moment, my heart roaring in my ears, I unblocked my mind and screamed both literally and mentally, "HELP!"

**Fang POV:**

I came downstairs to watch a movie with the other kids. They were all there except for one, one I couldn't help but notice. "Where's Max?"

Owen shrugged. "I checked, but she's not in her corner. I thought she was in her room."

I shook my head, "I just checked there. She isn't."

"She's in trouble!" Angel shrieked suddenly. I immediately tensed and looked at Angel, who had bolted up into a standing position.

"WHAT?"

"She climbed over the wall to escape and she attacked by those wolves in the forest. She climbed a tree, but we have to get out there!"

I was practically out the door before she finished. "I'll go get her. Eliza, Nudge, Owen, you come with me. The rest of you guys stay here," I had this sort of "alpha-male" power that let me force them to obey my commands. I tried not to use it much unless it was a time like this, where I didn't have time to deal with there crap. They could only disobey me if I let them.

The strain against my muscles as I ran and the adrenaline pumping in my ears made me feel truly alive. I loved running. It burned off steam and made me feel relaxed. I only liked running as a wolf, though, because I got tired much quicker as a human. I preferred flying in that situation.

My sensitive ears could hear Max's screams from half a mile away. Damn that girl. She was just far enough away from town that no one could hear her. If she hadn't unblocked her mind, she would've died in silence. She was so stupid.

She was also stubborn and short-tempered and antisocial and…beautiful. It was undeniable. Sure, her nose was too flat and her arms were just a little too short, but something about her flaws made her that much more desirable. She was the first thing to make me consider turning human again in about thirty years.

The only problem? She hated me. I mean, I can't really blame her seeing as I _did_ kidnap her and all, but you'd think she could just suck it up and be friendly. Guess not. Angel insisted some part of her did like me back, but she was in denial. The way I saw it, that part must be extremely tiny.

Ever since I had accidentally let it show just how much I cared for her, there had been an almost imperceptible friction between us. I don't know if anyone else noticed it but Angel, but it was there, I could feel it.

I arrived at the tree where Max was being attacked, roaring angrily. Max and the wolf pack froze and turned to me. Max's frantic eyes showed fear, relief, and shame, like a guilty child. I lunged forward and attacked the wolves, but it wasn't easy. One jumped up and snapped at me, but I batted it away before it could hurt. Eliza kicked a wolf in the jaw and Nudge stomped on one's skull.

There were about fifteen of them, not too bad, but they seemed to realize I was the biggest threat. Five of them started to attack me at once. I clawed a few of them and fiercely bit another. Before I could stop it, the fifth wolf leapt up and sank it's dagger-sharp teeth into my shoulder. I roared in pain and shook myself furiously, but it wouldn't let go.

I could feel my flesh tearing under it's genetically altered teeth and claws, but I continued to chase off the other wolves. I felt Owen jab a sharp tree branch into the wolf on my shoulder. It squealed and ran off with the rest of the pack.

I looked up through a haze of pain at Max who had scrambled down from her branch and was looking at me with a horrified, guilty expression. "Fang, I didn't mean-"

I growled sharply to cut her off. "We're going home."

Max obediently picked up her books and followed us. I got about halfway there before my shoulder gave and Nudge had to half-carry me back. Max's guilt seemed almost tangible, but I didn't care. I could feel the ground twisting as I slipped into blurry unconsciousness.

* * *

**Sorry, sorry, sorry it took so long. I don't even know what to say.**

**Okay, anyone who can name the series Max was reading gets virtual waffles and my eternal love. :) I'll tell you the answer in the next chapter and force you all to go read them.**

**Review? It would be so awesome if I could get 110 reviews, but 100 works too. And so does 120, but I think that's really stretching it. So we'll just go for 110.**


	7. Human

Chapter 7: Human

**You guys did it. I got over 120 reviews. This is so freaking awesome! I love you all. I got 29 reviews for the last chapter alone! Party on.**

**I was very, very pleased with the number of people who knew the name of the series Max was reading. It's called **_**Fallen**_** by Lauren Kate, so you must all go out and read them. Several people guessed **_**Hush, Hush**_**, and while I love those books too, that was incorrect. I also recommend those. I just got the third **_**Fallen**_** book, **_**Passion**_**, and will probably have finished reading it by the time you read this. So excited!**

**Sorry for the wait, but I was on vacation and then I was lazy and then I was busy, so….**

* * *

**Max POV:**

Nudge dragged a bloody, mostly unconscious Fang into the living room amid shocked cries. Angel was the only one who didn't look stunned. I had never felt so terrible or guilty in my entire life. "Get the first aid kit!" Eliza snapped at the gaping freaks. She and Nudge dragged Fang into his huge armchair.

Gazzy bolted out of the room. He returned a few seconds later holding a plastic white container with a red plus sign on it. "Alright, let's sew him up," Eliza pulled out a needle.

I felt the overwhelming desire to do something. It would help stifle the guilt. I didn't think Fang would die from the wound alone, but if the cut got infected or wouldn't stop bleeding….

"I-I…," My voice wouldn't work, so I coughed and tried again. "I can do it."

They glared at me and I shrank back. "I think you've done enough," Jennifer snarled. That hurt, because Jennifer never got mad, especially not at me.

"Please," I actually begged. Me. For real. "My mom is a vet so she taught us basic CPR. I can help!"

"Mouth-to-mouth from you? Spare me," Fang wheezed painfully. I glared and he said, "Let her help. The rest of you, clear out. Iggy, stay and help."

I walked over and inspected the gash. It looked truly awful, and I felt my eyes prickle with guilty tears. "Igster, go get me a big bowl of lukewarm water and a few washcloths."

Iggy nodded and left as I fought the tears. I wouldn't cry. Not in front of Fang, and certainly not because of him. I felt his tail brush my cheek.

"S'not your fault," Fang whispered.

"Yes it is," I replied, embarrassed that my voice shook. I had run and needed saving. It was my fault. Iggy returned with my supplies and I set to work attempting to clean the ragged hole in Fang's flesh.

I felt anger start to rise in my chest. This was _his _fault. If he hadn't kidnapped me in the first place, I wouldn't have run and he wouldn't have gotten hurt! By that extent, it was Ella's fault for getting captured by Fang in the first place. Or I could say it was Ryan's fault for taking Ella into the Mansion at all!

But I knew the fact remained that I was stuck here, and it was my own pigheadedness that had made me run off and get Fang hurt. Fang's endless black eyes met mine and he whispered, "I would have done the same."

I didn't reply, trying to clear the blood away from the wound. Fang's thick fur was hindering my ability to clean the cut right, and it was near impossible to distinguish the edges of the wound from the blood-matted fur. If Fang had white hair this wouldn't be an issue, but that wouldn't have been right. He needed black fur for his black heart.

Fang noticed the worried look on my face. "What's wrong Max?"

"I can't clean the cut right with all of your hair in the way. And I certainly can't sew it up like this," I bit my lip and looked at them. Fang's eyes looked slightly unfocused from the blood loss, and I knew we needed to do something fast. "I'm trying my best, but unless we shave you there isn't much else I can do."

Iggy looked in Fang's general direction. His cloudy sightless eyes sparked with an idea. "Fang, maybe you need to-"

"No," Fang said flatly, obviously knowing what Iggy was talking about even though I had no freaking idea.

"It's to save your life Fang. And you know you've wanted to since Max arrived. You've been so much calmer. It's actually an effort to stay as a wolf!"

Fang looked down as he thought. "What do are you talking about?" I demanded. Iggy put a finger to his lips. My eyes narrowed, but before I could pin him to the ground and demand information, Fang nodded.

"Fine. Step back."

I stood up and walked over next to Iggy about three steps from Fang's chair. He took a deep breath and did something that took my breath away.

Something like light but not as strong seemed to circle him, barely visible but impossible to miss at the same time. I could only describe it as magic. Not magical, but magic. It seemed like the right word.

Slowly, his fur melted away, simply seeming to recede into his skin. The exception was two black masses on his back, with seemed to stretch and arch as the rest of him shrunk. His fangs retracted into his gums and his muzzle flattened into a nose, mouth and chin. The fur vanished, leaving tan skin stretching flawlessly over toned muscle.

Fang was human, albeit a human with two enormous black wings arching from his back. But he was human. However, that wasn't the bad part.

The truly awful, horrible, gut-wrenching thing was that Fang was _hot_.

Seriously. Human Fang made Dylan look like Mr. Potato Head. You know, the old kind that made you use actual potatoes. Fang defined bad-boy sexy, with his muscular tan torso and scruffy black hair he swept to the side of his forehead. Thank God he was wearing a pair of black jeans, because I was committing enough sins in my head as it was.

"Careful Max. I think you might drown Iggy and me with your drool." I shook my head and realized with horror that not only had I been staring, my mouth had actually been hanging open slightly. Fang looked at me with his customary smirk and my brown eyes met the exact same endless black ones that had hypnotized me from day one.

"Shut up," I snarled, my face burning like fire. I walked over and angrily dipped my rag back in the water, easily clearing the blood without fur blocking my way. I reached into the first-aid kit to find a bottle of antiseptic. I poured some of it onto a fresh cloth and noticed Fang eye it warily.

I smirked and warned, "This might sting a lot."

I pressed the rag to his wound not-so-gently and Fang hissed. I felt his muscles tense under my hand. I tried to focus on my doctoring and not on his body, which was beyond perfect. I finished rubbing antiseptic into the cut and reached for the needle and thread. I put a little antiseptic on the needle for sterility and pushed it into his skin.

When I finished sewing Fang up, I wrapped his upper torso in bandages, put away my supplies, and we stood up. Fang appeared to be a little older than me, about twenty-two. He was still tall, about six-foot four to my five-foot ten. "Thank you." He breathed.

I tilted my head up to meet his eyes and the whole world stopped spinning. I was slammed with an overwhelming desire to kiss him, to feel his full lips on mine. His eyes said that he wanted the same thing. The strange aroma that permeated his fur in wolf form still circled him, but it was fainter now.

Our noses touched as we leaned in, my mind fighting violently with my body to pull away….

"Wait, so can I go tell the others that Fang's okay?" Iggy's voice cut in.

Fang and I abruptly pulled away from each other. Our whole encounter had lasted less than three seconds, though it fell like so much longer. "Yeah, go ahead," I said steadily.

Fang's jaw clenched like he was irritated, but he simply said, "I'm going to my room. I need time to readjust to being a human."

"You're not going back to being a wolf?" I asked as Iggy fluttered upstairs. No way could I stand being around Fang in human form. It was too tempting…I mean he would be infinitely more annoying this way. 'Cuz we were equals now and all.

"Nope. Why the long face? You know you like me better like this."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to go lay down. Today has been way to stressful." Fang nodded and used his huge midnight wings to skip the stairs. Stupid pure-human me was forced to walk.

I changed into my pajamas and crawled under my covers. I didn't want to kiss him. It didn't happen. The stress had made me hallucinate, that was all. That was it. I swear.

**Angel POV:**

I couldn't sleep. I did occasionally suffer from insomnia, but after a few hundred years you learn a few coping tricks. I tried relaxing each individual muscle and listening to my iPod, but nothing worked. I sighed and decided to probe around and see if anyone else was awake.

The first awake mind I found was Iggy. He was thinking about…Max.

…_She's so stubborn it's awesome. Besides me and Gazzy, there's no one who has enough backbone for that kind of risk. And the way she stands up to Fang when he's a wolf, that takes guts. Max has that sarcastic humor like me too, but she's more cynical. But the way she showed her multi-talented and compassionate sides today…I think she defines the phrase "the total package". Man, I wish I could see her…._

I blinked. Iggy hadn't thought about Max as anything other than a best friend or sister until then. What a surprising development. Well, not really since Iggy was the person Max spent the most time with. I wondered if Fang was awake and/or thinking about her.

…_I wish she would listen every now and again! She could have died today. What would I have done if she were gone? It's the same reason I can't just wipe her and send her home like I had originally planned. I've grown attached, but why? She's annoying and tenacious. Sure she's pretty but I'm not that shallow. Why can't I let her go. She has a boyfriend after all…._

Fang's original plan had been to keep Max here for a few weeks then have me wipe her mind and send her home. Then we really got to know her and he never followed up. I vaguely wondered how her family and Dylan felt about all of this. I poked into Max's mind next, wide awake with interest now, like at the climax of a good book.

…_I have a boyfriend! A nice, non-annoying hot human boyfriend that doesn't turn into a hairy beast and listens to everything I say. Why on Earth did I almost kiss Fang earlier? It was probably because he's hot and he was shirtless. But I'm not that shallow. Am I? Why else would I be attracted to such an asshole? Of course he hasn't been that bad lately-what am I saying, he's horrible! This is so stupid, why am I stuck going in circles like this? It's so obvious that I should find a way to leave and get back to Dylan, but I almost don't want to…._

I listened on the edge of my metaphorical seat as three separate points of a love triangle right here in our Mansion came to the same grudging conclusion.

_I think I'm in love._

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**What do you think? My longest chapter yet baby! And *gasp* is that some _more_ Faxness I see coming in the next chappie? You'll have to read on and find out.**

**Guess what Potter maniac has two thumbs and is going to see the midnight premire of Deathly Hallows Part 2 tonight? This girl! But I don't have a costume, so I'll just be going as myself. And from the time I'm posting this I only have to wait five more hours! :D**

**You know what I love? Reviews. And reviews mean longer, Faxier chapters, so...it's up to you guys.**


	8. Thunderstorm

Chapter 8: Thunderstorm

**Max POV:**

Lightning flashed again outside my window, followed by a loud burst of thunder. I shrieked softly and curled tighter under my covers, wishing I could make the storm vanish. I know I'm supposed to be fearless and all, but thunderstorms are my one weakness. Another rumble finally convinced me to go downstairs and get my iPod, which I had left and forgotten about in the living room. At least I didn't leave it outside.

My pale blue nightgown clung to my thighs as I silently slid down the stairs. I picked up my iPod and decided to get a Hershey bar from the fridge. Nothing is more soothing than chocolate. Of course, that's coming from an addict, so I don't know how reliable you find that.

I jumped about ten feet in the air as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun around, ready to snap someone's neck. Fang backed up and held his hands up as if to say "Don't shoot, I'm just a Fang!"

"What do you want?" I hissed unhappily. He really was out to ruin my life, wasn't he? Couldn't he tell I just wanted to disappear until the thunderstorm was gone?

He looked at me for a long moment. "Angel said you were having a panic attack or something," He whispered.

"So what? You came to tease me because I'm afraid of thunder?" I snarled. He flinched like I had smacked him.

"Did it even occur to you that maybe I wanted to see what was wrong and if there was anything I could do to help?"

I stopped. I literally felt frozen in place, not knowing what to say. Partially because I was stunned by his kindness, partially because Fang was in his boxers. _Only_ his boxers. As in, no shirt. So what was my well thought out response?

"Couldn't you have put a shirt on first?"

Fang smirked. "Why? Is it bothering you? I'm going to guess you're enjoying it a little more than you would like."

I felt my face turn red. "And there's the you I was expecting."

Fang chuckled and his eyes softened. "But really. What can I do? Why are you scared?"

I just shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it, much less with him. I turned to head back up to my room and groaned. Fang looked at me.

"Now I have to go up the stairs!" A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder made me jump and squeal. "I just want to hide," I whispered.

Suddenly, the ground vanished beneath me. Fang pulled me close, bridal style, and opened his enormous black wings. They were at least two feet wider than Iggy's. A simple push downward launched us into the air. A few wingbeats later, we were at the top of the stairs.

But did Fang put me down courteously and let me sprint to my room to seek shelter from both the storm and him? Nope. Of course not. In fact, we walked right past my room and flew up the next set of stairs.

"Um, my room was back there," I said before cringing away from another thunderclap.

Fang just smirked and kept walking. My body smushed against something I couldn't see as he grabbed for something with his hand. I could've turned and looked, but that would've exposed me to the lightning. Yes, I was so afraid of thunderstorms that I was huddling into Fang for shelter. Crazy, right?

Then the pressure was gone and I finally gathered up the courage to peek around. It had to be Fang's room. Black walls, deep gray carpet, and a huge black wrought-iron bed with a black comforter. Immediately my whole body tensed and I twisted to try and escape from Fang's arms.

I felt the muscles in his chest tense and relax as he sighed. It was driving me insane in a lustful way, but I would never admit it. "Relax. I'm not going to tie you down and rape you."

"Then why didn't you take me to my room?" I asked nervously. Three huge floor-to-ceiling windows lit up the room as lightning flashed and I screamed for real. This was way worse than my room. Fang's ceiling was really high, so the arched windows seemed to let in the whole storm.

Frowning, Fang dumped me onto his bed and walked over to the windows. He pulled on huge black curtains I hadn't noticed at first, covering the windows and plunging us into darkness.

After a moment of pitch black, a dim yellow light came on and revealed Fang's face just inches from mine. He gave me a small smile as thunder rumbled outside. I started to shake. I was scared out of my mind. Partially from the storm, partially from the thought that I was _in Fang's bed_ for an unknown reason.

I wished I hadn't been wearing my nightgown. It wasn't slutty or revealing, it covered my boobs completely and came down to mid-thigh, but still. It just seemed wrong considering the situation.

"Would you be more comfortable if I put a shirt on?" Fang whispered. We were too far away from the other rooms to really need to whisper, but it seemed appropriate. I managed a nod.

He left the electric lantern next to me on the bed. It was simple and green, the kind of battery-powered light source you would bring on a camping trip. "Sorry about the light. The windows always let in all the natural light i need so I don't have any other lights in here." I could faintly see Fang pulling a T-shirt out of a black dresser on the opposite side of the room. I guess one benefit of having only black clothes is you don't have to worry about them matching.

I pulled his comforter up to my neck and curled into a ball. The whole bed was coated in that special Fang smell I loved. I discreetly sniffed the covers as I hid. The mattress squeaked and I felt it shift as Fang sat down and crawled over next to me.

"So why am I here again?" I asked.

Fang shrugged. "I figured you wanted a distraction from the storm, so…." He looked awkward, like maybe he hadn't thought this through all the way.

I looked at him warily, but with a teasing smirk. "So you brought me in here to see if you could distract me by getting in my pants?"

"No! I only sleep with hot girls."

I punched him. He hissed slightly and I realized that I had punched his bad shoulder. "How's that healing up?" I asked, worried. The guilt still wasn't one hundred percent gone.

"It's fine. It kind of hurts when masculine girls punch it though," He said dryly. I blushed. He had only hurt it about two weeks ago, but it was already just a shiny pink scar. Part of the spell on him, I guess.

Then I realized all of what he had said. "Hey! I'm not that masculine!"

"You sure?" Fang teased. Thunder rumbled outside, but it was softer now and I barely noticed it.

I smirked, putting my hand on his chest. I heard and felt his breath catch. "Believe me, I'm _plenty_ feminine," I purred, putting my mouth close to his ear and sliding my hand slowly down his chest.

Fang tensed. His slender fingers shot out and grabbed my hand as it brushed over his six pack, which I could feel through his shirt. "Unless you _want_ to give me a hard-on, I'm going to suggest you stop."

I quickly pulled my hand away. "I thought I was too ugly to get you that excited."

"Act like that and I bet you could get Angel in bed with you. And she's straight."

"Ugh," I said. "Can we change the subject?" I asked awkwardly, toying with the handle of the lantern between us. I took it and set it on the nightstand to my right. Fang's bed was enormous, but we were curled up with me on the very edge and his chest less than a foot from mine.

"Sure we can change the subject." Fang shrugged. We were quiet for a moment before he said, "Why are you afraid of thunderstorms?"

I froze. "Can we go back to the other topic, about how incredibly sexy I am?" Fang shook his head.

My eyes flickered away towards the door. I was on the edge of the bed and it would be so very close if I ran. Fang saw me look.

"You can leave."

"Hm?" I turned to him.

"I'm not kidnapping you. You can leave if you really want to," But his eyes, endless and reflecting the dim light, said something else entirely. Fang looked sad and a little lonely. Maybe I could leave, but Fang really didn't want me to. I realized that I didn't want to leave either.

I remembered a few weeks ago, when I had healed Fang and we had almost kissed. That had been so weird and amazing and so very like this moment…a huge burst of thunder slammed my eardrums. My forehead slammed into Fang's and I immediately threw my arms around him for protection.

The boom had been one of those thunderclaps that came after the storm had died down, when it got quiet and you let your guard down. I hated them with all my heart. **(AN: Ugh, you know what I mean? I hate them.)**

I realized I still had my arms around Fang. I pulled away. The action was followed with an awkward silence until I said, "Fine. I'll tell you."

He scooted back a little so I had more room. There was still at least three or four feet between him and the edge of the bed.

I took a deep breath. "When I was eight or nine, my best friend was a boy named Sam. He lived down the street and we did everything together. Then one night, we had a really bad storm. It was like tornado weather, but in the middle of Fall. I had just outgrown being afraid of storms, you know, so I was really proud that I made it through the night without getting in my mom's bed with Ella.

"I heard sirens in the night, really loud, but they weren't the storm sirens so I ignored them. I put a pillow over my ears when they didn't stop and fell asleep. And there was a weird smell in the air, one I didn't know.

"The next morning…," I had to stop and breathe. The grief was so real when I relived it like this. "Sam's mom was the nicest woman in the world, right after my mom. She made the room brighter when she walked in and never got more than annoyed. Never mad. His little sister Rose was adorable, only three years old."

Fang's eyes widened and I knew he had guessed what happened next. "Lightning had struck their house, and it caught fire. It as at the end of the storm, so the rain had stopped and didn't put the fire out. Sam escaped, but his mom went to get Rose and-and...,"

I took a deep breath to stop the tears, but one escaped and slid down my cheek. Fang reached out and stroked from my cheekbone to my chin, erasing it. "Two days later Social Services moved Sam to live with his dad in Virginia and I never saw him again."

I shrugged like it was no big deal, though it clearly was. "I've had a phobia of thunderstorms ever since, though I realize there's like a one in a million chance of that happening."

"That's awful. Why would you tell me such a depressing story?" Fang said. I punched him in his good shoulder and smiled.

"Your turn to tell me a story," I said.

"What story?" He asked.

"Actually…," I gave him an evil smile. "How about a questionnaire? I'll ask you whatever I want and you either answer truthfully or you can use one of your three skips."

Fang weighed his options. "Fine."

I grinned. "Awesome. First question: How old are you? Really."

"Three hundred and thirty-four."

I blinked. "Seriously?" He nodded. "Okay. Is it nice, not having to worry about dying?"

He thought for a moment. "Honestly? I don't really care either way. I mean, I'm not planning on going suicidal, but I kind of accept that everything has to die at some point. I just hope it's quick and painless. I've had a long, full life."

I tilted my head. "Really? Is there anything you would absolutely hate to leave if you died tomorrow? Anything you would regret not doing?"

Fang hesitated. "Skip."

"Huh?"

"I said I want to skip that one."

"Okay," I said, disappointed. "Who is the last girl you had sex with?"

Fang smirked. "Why do you want to know?"

I glared. He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I don't, uhh…, I don't actually think I ever got her name. She was blonde, and it was before I went permanently wolf so it was like forty years ago."

"I didn't realize you were such a player. Have you ever really loved anyone?"

"Pass."

I noticed he was skipping all of the personal questions. "Okay. Why did you become human again?"

"To save myself, so you could clean my cut." Fang said. "You know that."

"No, I mean why did you stay human? Your wound is plenty healed."

Fang looked me straight in the eye, making me dizzy. "Pass."

"No passes on this one."

"That's not the rules."

I glared, so curious it was driving me crazy. "I made up the game; I can change the rules!"

"Well I'm not answering!" He said, causing an angry silence. Wait. Silence?

"The storm stopped." I said. I realized I hadn't heard it since my story about Sam. I checked Fang's clock. "It's past three in the morning. I should get to bed."

Fang looked a bit surprised as I slid out of his bed. "Oh. Okay."

I turned back to him. "Thank you. That was nice." I hesitated, then quickly leaned in and hugged him. He stiffened before relaxing and sliding his arms around me.

I wanted to just get back in his bed and sleep like this, curled in his embrace. Somehow, I pulled away with one last sniff of his Fang smell.

I went down the stairs and slid under my covers. As I drifted almost immediately to sleep, I realized my iPod and the candy bar were still on the kitchen counter.

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**Ta-Daa! My new longest chapter. Oh, but I'm still dangling that first kiss just out of reach, aren't I? You'll have to wait a few more chapters for that. However, reviews may speed it up...just saying. Maybe. But it's a pretty safe bet. ;)**


	9. Flying

Chapter 9: Flying

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been at band camp and then I got sucked into the time-consuming void that is Facebook.**

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**Max POV:**

I laid face down on my bed and didn't move. Nudge wanted to get out of the house today. Even though I loved any time away from here, that meant she wanted me to get all prettied-up. And since Fang was all human and stuff now, he was coming with us. It just gets better and better.

I heard a banging on my door, but I didn't move. "Max! Come on! I want to leave soon!" Angel called. I still remained motionless on the bed. Angel sighed and came in. "Max, now. Do I need to have Fang come get you?"

"You called?" A deep voice said from my doorway. I turned my head just enough to see Fang lounging against my doorframe.

I turned my head back to its original position. "Would it kill you to leave me alone for even a second?"

"Probably. I bet I would spontaneously combust if I wasn't within ten feet of your hideous self at all times."

"Oh yeah. Like you define gorgeous. More like anything but," That was a total lie. He looked incredible, as always. Fang was wearing a black leather jacket with a deep gray shirt and black jeans. The ensemble showed off his muscles and his silky hair was swept to the side of his head.

He smirked. "Oh please. I've seen you staring at my ass more than once."

I blushed and opened my mouth to reply. "Oh guys, could you please give it a rest?" Angel protested. "Max, we're leaving in fifteen minutes. Get dressed." They left.

Oh, and just to make sure we're clear, I have _not_ spent any time staring at Fang's butt. I mean, I've seen it, but I haven't really looked at it. It's not bad though. You know, from the glances I've gotten when he turns around.

I pulled on a purple top with black claw-mark designs on one side. Then I tugged on some frayed jean shorts and yanked a brush through my hair. Easy-peasy.

Then Nudge walked in and forced me to sit still while she straightened my hair, re-curled it, and put eye shadow on me. Grr…. I love Nudge, but if there's one person who comes anywhere near as annoying to me as Fang, it's her.

As soon as I stepped out of the front door, I noticed Fang staring at me. "What?" I demanded. He just turned away, but I thought I saw his cheeks turn pink.

"He thinks you look really hot today," Angel supplied from the other side of the lawn. Fang glared at her. I smirked at him.

"Well thank you. I thought you said I was hideous."

Angel cut in again before we could have a full-scale argument. "Yes, yes and you said you don't spend any time looking at his butt. You're both liars. Now can we please leave!"

The roles were reversed. Fang smirked at me as I blushed furiously and stepped towards Iggy. He picked me up and we launched into the sky. Where were we going? I have no idea, but I doubt I'll enjoy it.

"Really Max, that's the attitude you're going to have about a day out?" Angel commented in exasperation.

I frowned. "Get out of my head!"

I found it difficult to breathe up this high, so Eliza had lent me her extra one of those portable oxygen things that mountain climbers use. It wasn't fashionable, but I could survive with it. It wasn't actually that bad.

Something shot past Iggy and I with a rush of air. It took me a second to realize it was Fang. He soared to about a hundred feet above us before angling straight down. He shot down several hundred feet below us before snapping his wings back out to full length and soaring back.

I watched in awe as Fang dipped and twirled. I caught a glimpse of the blissful look on his face before he shot past us again. I almost teased him for it. _You don't know how good it feels to stretch your wings Max, especially after so long. Don't annoy him. _Angel's voice chimed in my head.

_Is it weird to feel jealous?_ I asked.

_Ask Eliza. She doesn't have wings either. _I looked at Eliza, who was clinging lightly to Owen as he pumped his gray wings. She was like Fang and could pull her fur back so she looked normal, but she didn't get wings. Poor Eliza.

_Does it bother you that you don't have wings?_ Angel let me ask her mentally.

Eliza sort of turned to me and shrugged. _Yeah, I wish I could fly, but the other guys are really nice about holding me so it kind of feels like I'm really flying. I guess I'm kind of over it now._

_I wish I could fly._ I thought to myself. I was barely done thinking it before Fang swooped up beside Iggy and I. "Gah!" I said in surprise.

He looked at me for a moment before mutely holding his arms out. Wait. Fang wanted me…to get into his arms? Willingly? I mean, I did feel nice there…and safe…but I didn't want to be any closer to him than necessary. He raised his eyebrows and extended his arms a little more. I shook my head a tiny bit.

I guess Iggy either figured out what was going on or Angel told him, because he said, "I've got her!" It was almost a little possessive.

Fang rolled his eyes. "I promise I won't kill her."

"I'm fine here. Besides you can't really get close enough to get me with your and Iggy's wings in the way." I said.

"Jump," Fang said simply.

"_What?_" Iggy and I exclaimed at the same time. I looked down; the ground looked tiny and I couldn't make out a single detail. No way was I leaving the safety of Iggy's arms.

Then Fang did something I don't think I'll ever forgive him for. A flash of irritation shot across his impassive face, and he slammed his wings into Iggy's. Iggy flailed and righted himself, but it was too late. I tipped out of his arms and plummeted towards the ground below.

I shrieked, mostly out of fear but also partially out of anger. Then I stopped abruptly and I tightened my grip on whatever stopped my fall. It took me a second to realize that it was Fang.

I blushed and loosened my grip slightly, terror morphing into rage. "What the Hell? You could have killed me, you f-ing asshole!" I screeched.

He cringed away from the noise. "I'll drop you. Be nice."

My reply was yanked away as he shot upwards. The wind yanked my hair and I involuntarily tightened my grip around Fang's neck. He twisted around several times before stopping high above everyone else. They were also starting to chase each other and enjoy the fresh air.

Fang smiled at me. I was focusing intently on his neck, trying to make my stomach stop flipping. We were moving very slowly now, practically hovering. Fang was in an upright position, like he was standing on air.

"Max," He said gently. I raised my eyes to his nose. "Look around."

I lifted my eyebrows in disbelief. I was trying to avoid puking, not encourage it. Fang sighed and I felt his strong hands slowly twist my body around. I gasped.

He was right. I could see for miles. Tiny clusters were randomly spotted through the ocean of grass, towns connected by a mesh of roads. Trees and rivers connected at a huge lake to our right. I wondered where we were, because I didn't recall a lake anywhere near my house.

"Wow," I breathed. "It's so gorgeous." Then I noticed that Fang wasn't gazing at the scenery like I was. He was looking at my face with an almost dreamy look in his eyes. "What?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Fang turned pink again. Then he tightened his grip on my waist. My back and the oxygen machine were pressed against his stomach. I didn't have time to ask what he was doing before he flattened out and shot down towards the rest of the…Flock, I guess I'll call them, since most of them fly.

On the way down we shot right through the middle of a puffy white cloud. Now I know everyone thinks it would be fluffy and awesome to touch or lie down on a cloud. They are wrong. It was cold and wet, and since it isn't actually solid, you couldn't lay on it. The wind at that height quickly dried me though. I elbowed Fang in the stomach, but he only laughed.

Angel smiled at me as we rejoined the Flock. "I like the name Flock. How was flying?"

I laughed. "I almost wish you hadn't taken me. Now I'm even more jealous."

Iggy flew up next to us. "Don't worry Max. I'll take you flying whenever you want."

Fang made a growling noise at him. I twisted around. What was that? Angel looked between the two men.

"Oh, let's stop here!" Nudge shouted. She was halfway to a landing point before the rest of us even had a chance to react.

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**Again, sorry for the wait, but I've had band camp and school starts on Monday so...no promises on the timing of my updates. Sorry! I still love you guys though. =)8**


	10. Bowling and Jealousy

Chapter 10: Bowling and Jealousy

**Ugh. I love Marching Band, but it's really time consuming. Do you know how long it took us to unload all 60 of our 10-foot tall mirrors we use as props in our shows? An hour! We didn't get to go home after the football game until about 1 am, and the game ended at 10:30. I love band. :)**

**Disclaimer: Those bird kids? Maximum Ride? Yeah, I disclaim them. That copyrighted stuff? I disclaim it too.**

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**Max POV:**

Bowling. The other kids wanted to go bowling. The last time I went bowling, my hand slipped and I knocked some kid's teeth out. That was about five years ago. So…yeah.

I begged Nudge to do something else-after all, we could bowl on the Wii at home-but I had no luck. We went into a bowling alley that was half bowling lanes, half arcade.

"Come on Max, have a positive attitude," Eliza said. Jennifer paid for our shoes and bought two games. "If you want, you don't even have to play."

"I'll play the first game," I muttered grudgingly. Angel grinned. Nudge was looking suggestively at some blonde dude with a cigarette. Ugh. Iggy was across the street taking some afternoon cooking class a local market. I didn't want to be here, but I didn't want to burn down the town by attempting to cook either.

Fang came up next to me as I was picking out a bowling ball. "So what's with the aversion to bowling?" He asked.

I turned away, picking up a reasonably heavy green ball. "It doesn't matter."

Fang picked up a black ball, not even checking the weight, and followed me. "Come on, someone who hates bowling that much must have a reason."

I turned around and snapped, "Why would I tell you?"

Pain flickered through his dark eyes, quickly switching to anger. "Oh, that's right. You're such a bitch, I bet you just want to ruin the first day the kids have had with their whole family in about forty years," he stalked off.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, remembering how much I had enjoyed talking to him during that storm. I ignored the feeling and walked over to set my ball next to everyone else's.

The game was pretty uneventful. There was one point that was amusing for everyone else but humiliating for me. When I swung my arm to roll the ball, I accidentally hit my leg and the bowling ball flew into the gutter of the lane next to us. I think the Flock laughed for about ten minutes straight. The blonde smoker Nudge had been checking out earlier had been playing in said lane, but he just cracked up and said he didn't mind.

After stupid Fang won the game, I strolled around the arcade. I made Fang fork over some money so I could play some stupid games and get a cheap prize. I played Ski Ball and _Deal or No Deal_ and anything else there. I actually found I was kind of enjoying myself.

"Hey," A vaguely familiar voice said as I went back for more Ski Ball.

I turned to see blonde smoker standing behind me. "What do you want?" I asked, somewhat rudely.

A smirk graced his features. My backstabbing mind immediately compared it to Fang's and decided it wasn't as sexy.

"I was just being friendly. You did throw a bowling ball at me," he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, threw my last ball, and bent down to collect my tickets. "You came to hit on me?"

"You're quick."

"You're obvious." I walked over to exchange my tickets. "Anyway don't bother. I have a boyfriend."

"The dark-haired guy?" He guessed.

I blushed. "What? Fang? No way." I knew I spoke too fast, giving me away.

"Really?" The guy said, following me as I took my candy and junk and walked away from the counter. "Because every time you got up to bowl, he was staring at your ass."

My lips twitched. "Was he?" Had he not teased me about that very thing this morning?

"Yeah. Hey, I never caught your name. Mine's Ky," he said. We sat down at a table bordering both the bowling alley and the arcade.

"Mine is Max." I said, offering to share my Sour Punch Straws. He took one.

"So do you live nearby? I've never seen you around before," Ky said, munching his candy.

"No, I'm visiting with my friends and cousins, the ragtag group you saw with me."

"Is there a specific reason you visited here? Do you have family nearby? This town is pretty much the same as any other," He took more candy.

"Just needed a change of scenery," I said, taking more candy myself. "We live in a little Podunk town that basically consists of one neighborhood, a school for each level, and a grocery store."

The corner of Ky's mouth lifted. "Fun."

It suddenly hit me that I was talking to a total stranger for no reason. He didn't make me feel all safe and warm and fuzzy like Fang did, but it was nice to talk to someone normal who didn't act a billon years wiser than me.

Ky licked the sour crystals off his fingers and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered me one, but I shook my head no. "You sure? Live a little!" He urged.

"By inhaling burning shit into my lungs? Sorry, but that's not my idea of a good time," I said icily. Ky just shrugged and lit one for himself. I coughed as he exhaled a cloud of filth.

"Sorry," he turned his head away. I saw his eyes narrow. "Oh, fabulous."

"What?" I asked, turning around. What I saw made my blood go cold.

Fang was leaning_ very_ close to a slutty-looking redhead. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. Her shirt was way too low, revealing ridiculously huge boobs that had to be fake. She had tiny skirt and actual fishnet leggings with her boots. Words from my questionnaire with Fang echoed in my mind. _I don't think I actually got her name. She was blonde..._

He was such a freaking player.

"That's my ex-girlfriend, Gemma," Ky said. "We had a nasty breakup. I hate her, she hates me," He looked at my expression. "Jeez, for someone who has a boyfriend that isn't that guy, you look awfully jealous."

I switched my glare from Fang to Ky. "Just shut it, okay? Maybe I feel a little more than friendly towards him," I looked over and saw a waitress carrying a pitcher of soda over to their table. Fang and Gemma had their backs to us, their backs to the waitress. I had to time this perfectly.

"Listen, keep your mouth shut about what I just said, and I'll make sure they know I've been hanging out with you. Deal?"

"Deal," Ky said, following my line of vision and guessing my plan.

I stood up and walked purposefully forward. The rest of the Flock had sort of scattered, they were all either flirting or in the arcade. No one noticed me.

I gave a fake stumble, said "Whoa!" for effect, and shoved the waitress. She gasped as the soda flew out of her hand and drenched Gemma, who shrieked. She spang up out of her chair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I said, acting the part. Fang turned around to glare at me.

"You bitch! What the Hell was that for?" Gemma shrieked. People turned to stare. This was so awesome, it was a struggle to keep a straight face.

"It was an accident! Ky and I were done talking, so I figured I'd come tell Fang I was ready to go," I grinned. "And you really shouldn't yell. You might cause a scene."

Gemma's green eyes locked on Ky, who walked up behind me. "What are _you_ doing here?" Her voice oozed venom.

"Hanging with a hot chick, you?" That wasn't really how I wanted him to describe me, but whatever.

"I was doing fine with a sexy man until she dumped soda all over me!" Gemma said.

"Your voice is really annoying," I told her. It was.

"What's going on over here?" A buff-looking employee asked.

Gemma pointed at me, "That girl poured a drink all over me!" The worker turned to me.

"I was walking over to tell my friends I was ready to go, but I accidentally tripped and hit the waitress. And I _did_ try to apologize afterwards," I said. I thought it was pretty convincing.

Buff-worker-man turned to Gemma and said, "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Gemma looked at Ky, Fang, and me before picking up her purse and stalking out the door. The employee headed back to the counter.

"Do you think I should have told her she had a little soda on her shirt?" I asked. I looked at Fang. Uh-oh.

He was tense, taking deep breaths, but I noticed that his eyes were completely black and his canines looked longer than normal. Only then did I remember that when Fang got mad he turned back into a wolf. Crap.

"Shit," I heard Nudge mutter as she ran over from another table, where she had been flirting shamelessly with some Goth. "Come on Fang, chill," He didn't move.

"Fang," she repeated, "It's time to go," she said firmly, grabbing his arm.

Fang took a deep breath and walked out the door. The rest of the Flock followed him.

"Well, it was nice talking to you Ky," I said.

He smirked. "Yeah, it was fun up until your not-boyfriend got all weird. I thought he was going to bite you."

I gave him a weak grin. "Yeah. He's weird. Bye, it was really was nice hanging out with you." Ky nodded.

I walked outside. "What the Hell were you thinking!" Fang exploded.

"I tripped," I said stubbornly.

"Max, we all know very well you didn't trip," Fang said angrily. I was secretly terrified that he was going to turn into a wolf and tear my face off.

"There you guys are!" I had never been happier to hear Iggy's voice. "What happened?"

"Fang was hitting it off with some slut, so Max got jealous and dumped root beer all over her," Gazzy said.

"I tripped and spilled soda on her!" I said again.

"Okay, Max, we love you," Owen said, "But how stupid do you think we are?"

Fang pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "I need to run," he muttered. "Meet you at home."

I turned away as he pulled his shirt off, revealing his ab-ulous stomach. He put the shirt in his back pocket and walked off towards the edge of the forest across the street. He transformed and shot off.

I decided to fly with Jennifer this time, so we also headed into the forest, and she carried me home. My mind churned. Why had I been so beaten up about the thought of Fang with another girl? And why did have the feeling that his jealousy at the end wasn't because I spilled soda on his slut, it was because I had been hanging out with Ky?

* * *

**The next chapter will be about Ella and Dylan and how the people at Max's home feel about her being gone. Remember to check out myother story, What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Always Stay There!**

**My school has a football game against our rivals this Friday! It's a huge deal for the band, because wewant to be better than their band. Wish us luck!**

**P.S. Over 200 reviews for 9 chapters? You guys are amazing. I really do love you all. :)**


	11. Ella's Nightmare

Chapter 11: Ella's Nightmare

**Blech. Homework. I'm sorry for the wait guys, but between band and homework, I haven't had much time to type. And this poor excuse for a chapter probably won't make up for it, but I wanted to post something about Max's old life. Then we'll get back to Max and the ab-ulous Fang. ;)**

**Disclaimer: You know it already.**

* * *

**Ella POV:**

I walked downstairs, pointedly ignoring the shut door concealing the room that had been empty for almost three months. I sat down in front of my thin, gray-haired mother. "Good morning Mom."

"Morning Ella," she murmured. Max's disappearance had done nothing for her health. She barely ate or slept. She was also seeing a therapist to help with the trauma of losing her oldest daughter.

The main problem was that she was basically smothering me. I had unlimited texting and minutes on my phone, which I had to charge every night so I could contact her at any time. I also had to carry a rape whistle and use the buddy system whenever possible. She checked on me several times a day while she was at work, and it was making my head hurt.

I made myself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. School started in two days, but I was not looking forward to it. All of the glances, the rumors, the talk. Nobody had any recollection of Max disappearing. As far as we could tell, Max had left college but never reached home. It was concerning, even though her school was about a day long drive from our house.

"Morning Martinezes," Dylan said as he stepped into the kitchen. He had been coming in to check on us at least twice a week, probably making sure Mom didn't go suicidal.

"Morning," I replied. "How are you?"

It was a stupid question. He obviously wasn't doing well. Dylan was, unlike Mom, eating fine and carrying on with his life, but he had dark bags and worry lines on his handsome face and he was always tense.

Dylan just shrugged. "I'm going to drop off Dr. M at the therapist's office. Ella, I was thinking maybe afterwards you would like to go to the mall and pick out some new clothes for back to school?"

"Sure," I said. Dylan wasn't poor, so I had a pretty good feeling he would be paying for my wardrobe.

We climbed into Dylan's car and drove to the therapist. Dylan said his mom would pick my mom up in an hour. The police said it wasn't a good idea for Mom to drive since she was often distracted and there was a possibility she might attempt suicide and crash.

Dylan was in a much more stable state of mind. Now, I'm not saying he didn't care. It was obvious that he was worried, that his heart was in shreds. I knew that Dylan was a guy that truly cared about Max, the kind of guy that thought even her flaws were perfect. In high school, it had always been players going after her, thinking she would be ''fun". She turned them down, of course, and stayed a virgin. The thought of some player with his hands all over my sister pissed me off.

We turned into the mall. "Why the sudden affection?" I asked. Dylan didn't talk to me much, probably because my looks reminded him of Max.

He sighed. "You just looked so miserable. Your mom in therapy, kids your own age shunning you, I thought you could use a distraction."

"Well that sentence didn't really help," I said dryly.

Dylan blushed and apologized as we got out of the car. I shrugged and ran into the store. I loved the mall. Before Max had gone to college, I would make her or Mom drag me here at least twice a month.

Now it made my heart ache, thinking of all the outfits I made Max try on and how she would complain even though I knew she was enjoying herself.

Dylan stepped up behind me. "Go enjoy yourself Ella. I'll buy you whatever you want."

I gave him a smirk. "You have no idea what you just promised," I warned.

I think Dylan was stunned by how much I wanted. I bought several pairs of shoes, about twenty shirts, ten pairs of jeans, three scarves, four hats, two new jackets and a new purse. And that was just the clothes.

"I think you're going to bankrupt me!" Dylan said. I grinned.

"I said you had no idea what you were promising, and you didn't believe me!" I said as we lugged all of my bags out to the car.

"Thank you," I said about halfway home. "That was a nice distraction."

Dylan gave me a small smile. "You're welcome. I'm sorry I don't spend much time with you. It's just…I get this weird feeling hen I look at you, like Max's disappearance is somehow your fault. And I'm not accusing you," he hurried to add. "I just…I don't know. It feels like there's a valid reason buried in my mind somewhere but I can't reach it. I feel the same way when I look at Ryan."

"Actually, I know what you mean," I said. "I always have this feeling, like somehow I'm to blame for her disappearance. I asked Mom's therapist and she said it was a normal reaction, kind of like survivor's guilt. But for whatever reason, I feel like it's deeper than that. It's like you said, I feel like there's a valid reason but I can't reach it."

Dylan nodded. Soon we were at my house, and Dylan helped me carry my new stuff up to my room. Then I made pile of old clothes for him to take to Goodwill when he left. After Dylan left I made Mom and I some chicken soup, bringing a bowl into her study.

"Hello sweetie. How was your day with Dylan?" she asked. Mom was always more calm right after therapy. She seemed better and better every time, though she stressed endlessly between sessions.

"Good," I said. "He bought me an entire new wardrobe. I also got some cute stuff for my room and some new earrings."

She nodded. "Good."

"How was therapy?" I asked.

Mom smiled. "Great. Alaina taught me some good relaxation techniques to help me sleep better."

"That's good," I said. Then I remembered something Dylan had told me at the mall. "Hey, did you know Dylan was planning on proposing to Max?"

"Really?" Mom said.

"Yeah, he already bought this really pretty ring and everything. He said he was keeping it in case she comes back."

Mom sighed and nodded. Then she took my hand. "Ella, I'm sorry. I'm trying my hardest, I really am. Soon you'll be back at school and I'll be working full time again and everything will find a normal pattern. I know this is hard for you."

I hugged her. "It's okay, you're doing fine. We're all powering through. Now, I'm going to bed."

I went and soaked myself in a hot shower, brushed my hair and teeth, and crawled into bed. I tried to ignore my nightmare of a life and drift off to sleep. Maybe I should've asked Mom to teach me some of those relaxation techniques. When I finally fell asleep, my dream was abnormal to say the least.

* * *

I was standing in a marble-floored foyer. An ornate staircase rose behind me, and I could see stone walls surrounding the property through the windows. That wasn't the weird part.

Across from me, I saw Max, several kids with wings, a girl with cat fur, and a monstrous wolf. The big black monster was saying something to Max but I couldn't hear it. Her lips moved with a soundless response. Then she walked over to me. I heard her voice like an echo.

"Don't worry Ella," she said, embracing me. "I'll be out before you know it."

That part felt like a memory. Then everything changed. The walls and floor turned to fog and blurred, leaving the room with a smokey look. The eyes of the kids began to glow, and their bodies vanished. They leftover orbs, still glowing, seemed focused on Max and the wolf. My eyes were glued to them as well.

The beast slid forward, wrapping himself around her, pressing his muzzle under her chin. Max gasped. It was a sound of pure bliss. She buried her face in his fur as two enormous brown wings extended from her back.

Then the fur melted off of the wolf, and he became a man with dark hair and black wings to match Max's. They twisted together, laying down the floor, and their lips met. I saw their tongues flash against each other's as their shirts turned to fog and vanished.

I wanted to look away. I had no idea what was going on, but I certainly didn't need to see Max get it on with some guy. Then the man pulled away and spoke. His voice had a haunting, ringing quality.

"Do you want to go home?" His lips found her neck.

Max laughed and the sound echoed. Her voice was hers, but twisted and abnormal. "Why would I go home? To my annoying little sister and stupid blonde boyfriend? Why would I go back to them when I can stay with you?"

Their lips met again. My eyes were still stuck as his lips moved down, finding a private area on her chest and kissing it passionately. I wanted to run. I definitely did not need to see this. Max gasped in pleasure.

"We should eliminate them. I wouldn't want you displeased," the man breathed. His lips moved back up to her jaw.

Max made a purring noise and slid her body off of his. Their wings closed around their bodies. A wind blew, and the feathers sailed with it, revealing a brown wolf in my sister's place and a black wolf in the place of the man. They were normal wolves now, not like the monster wolf-man he had been earlier. They turned and sprang at me. I shrieked, feeling pain as they tore with their claws. What was going on? This was a dream! I wasn't supposed to hurt!

"Stop!" I shrieked. "Stop it please! Stop-"

I woke in my bed. I was soaked with cold sweat. out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flash of red through the crack between my curtains and a human shadow. I ran over, but there was nothing outside. Must have been leftover terror.

I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, then went downstairs to get a glass of water. I tried to get back to sleep, but I was scared of another nightmare. Where had that even come from?

* * *

**I am fully aware that this chapter doesn't really make up for the long wait, and I apologize. Marching season only has one week left though, and then I should have _some_ free time to update. And even if you hate me right now, stick around. That nightmare didn't come from Ella's imagination.**

**I'm really excited about writing the next chapter. In fact, I basically wrote this whole story just to write the next chapter! It involves Fax...alone...with Max being prettied up... ;)**

**Review? Out of love? And wish me luck, my band's big competition is this Friday!**


	12. An Enchanted Twist In My Story

Chapter 12: An Enchanted Twist In My Story

**Okay, so I was originally only going to have the first song in this chapter, then I heard the second song and I was like, "OMG this is so perfect!", but I couldn't get rid of the first song because I'd already named the story after it. (I've been planning this chapter since I started writing this story.) So now I have both songs. I'm going to highly recommend you listen to the songs while you read the chapter, on YouTube or something if you have to. And no, this is not becoming a songfic. Only this chapter is songfic-y. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR, Enchanted by Taylor Swift, or A Twist In My Story by Secondhand Serenade.**

* * *

**Max POV:**

It was hot and cramped. Twisting, grinding bodies smothered me to the screeching music from all angles. I was miserable.

Today was Nudge's birthday, so she had taken us to some "safe" club for kids fifteen to twenty-five. Angel and Gazzy had stayed to guard home. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and body odor. Beer and something stronger were circling around.

It was clear I was an outcast. I wasn't smoking, drinking, dancing, or tearing someone's clothes off. I finally managed to squeeze into an empty alcove. Well, I thought it was empty until heard giggling and growling.

I peeked around the corner to see Fang with his hands up the shirt of _another_ ginger. Why, of all hair colors, did he like that one? Maybe because, like him, they don't have souls. **(AN: I don't support that belief, btw.)** I felt a weird, strangled gasp escape my throat against my will. Fang pulled away and turned around. His eyes widened. "Max…," he started.

"Do you mind?" The skank said in a ridiculously high voice. I turned and fought my way through the dance floor to the exit. My throat burned with fumes and retained tears. Why was he doing this to me? Why was I doing this to myself? Not for the first time, I wished I was home with Dylan.

I walked angrily down the sidewalk, not caring that I was miles from home. I just needed to be away from there, from him.

"Hey," a hand grabbed my shoulder. Speak of the devil. Fang spun me around and looked me in the eye.

"What? Can't you tell I'm trying to get away from you!" I hissed. He flinched. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself. It was only September, but the night air was already chilly.

Fang hesitated. "Well, I thought maybe you needed a ride home."

I glared. "Not from _you_! I'd rather walk."

Fang frowned. "Max, you have no idea where we are. We're about a hundred miles from home."

"I don't care!" I felt my eyes burn. What the Hell was wrong with him? Why couldn't he leave me alone?

Fang sighed, and I smelled alcohol on his breath. I gave him a suspicious frown. "You've been drinking," I accused.

Fang shook his head. "I only had one beer. And it's okay, because I'm well over twenty-one." I didn't reply. "Max, please let me fly you home."

"Don't you have a slut to eat?"

Fang sighed again. "Max, I'm going to give you one more chance to go willingly, then I'm flying you home anyway."

"Fine," I pouted.

We walked into a secluded area where no one would see us, then Fang scooped me up bridal style and we flew off.

Neither of us said a single word until we landed. Once he set me down in front of the door, I turned to him. "Okay, you can go back now."

Fang raised one eyebrow. "I don't think so."

"God, you're annoying." I whispered under my breath. "I'm going to go take a shower, I smell weird."

"I don't think a shower will help," Fang teased. I rolled my eyes and gave him a shove. I quickly went up stairs, not looking at him.

I sobbed as I let the hot water beat my shoulders. I had lost track of why I was crying; it just felt good to let it out. After about half an hour, I stepped out. I used my towel to wipe the steam off of the mirror. My eyes were puffy and red, so I splashed some cold water on them and it started to clear.

I dried my hair and brushed my teeth, then stepped out of my bathroom to get dressed. I was surprised to see an outfit already lying on my bed. A note was sitting on the shirt, written in Fang's gorgeous calligraphy.

_Put this on and meet me upstairs. I want to make the night up to you. -Fang_

My heart went weird. Make the night up to me? What did he have planned?

I pulled on the clothes. The shirt was double-layered, a black tank-top underneath and a red and purple design on thin material on top. The pants were simple jean capris, and I pulled on my black Converse.

I looked in the mirror, and before I realized what I was doing I was putting on make-up. I know, I know, it's shocking, but I wanted to look my best. I sincerely hoped Fang really was taking me on some sort of date, because otherwise I would feel really silly.

It suddenly occurred to me that in order to have laid the outfit on my bed, Fang must have been in my room while I was showering. That was a creepy thought.

I surveyed myself one more time in the mirror. My purple eye shadow and eyeliner didn't look that bad. My hair hung smoothly around my shoulders (I had straightened it), and my outfit was cute. I took a deep breath. Showtime.

Fang's door seemed menacing, like the other side held ten cameras waiting to see me look stupid. I braced myself and knocked on the door. "Come in," Fang called.

I slid softly in the door. Fang was sprawled across his bed, and he sat up as I came in. He had changed out of his leather jacket and torn pants into a black button-down shirt and black skinny jeans. And damn, did he look good. I felt a smile tug the corners of my mouth.

"What?" Fang asked.

"We wore matching shoes," I said. Fang looked down at his black Converse and grinned.

He hopped off the bed and walked over to me. "Are you wearing make-up? With straightened hair? Is Nudge home already?" He joked. I felt my cheeks burn. I knew I looked stupid.

"Well, I don't-I mean I didn't know what you were planning, but you laid out this pretty outfit, so I thought, I don't know I should look nice because maybe-"

"Max!" Fang laughed. "Geez, you really are channeling Nudge." His eyes moved from mine all the way down my body and back up again. I self-consciously pulled the top of my shirt up, but Fang took my wrists and put them at my side.

"You're looking down my shirt," I accused. Fang rolled his eyes, but his cheeks turned pink. Busted.

"So why did you invite me up here?" I asked.

Fang pulled me over to the empty space at the foot of his bed, in front of his dresser. The space was about as big as my whole room. "Well, you didn't really get the chance to dance at the party, so I thought maybe you'd…well, maybe you would want to dance with me now?" Fang looked at me hopefully.

I recoiled, thinking of the kind of dancing that had been going on at the club. Fang noticed. "Oh, no, I'm not asking you to grind with me, though I wouldn't say no if you wanted to," Fang winked.

I was really glad he turned around to set up his iPhone on the speakers, because that sentence had caused a mental image of Fang and I dirty dancing, and I liked imagining his hips pushing against mine like that. I felt my whole face burn.

"But I was alive in the seventeen hundreds, and I'm not too bad of a ballroom dancer, if I do say so myself," Fang smiled, walking over to me.

I felt myself stiffen as Fang put on arm on my waist, grasped one of my hands in his, and put my other hand on his shoulder. The first notes began to play.

_There I was again tonight  
__Forcing laughter, faking smiles  
__Same old tired, lonely place _

"Oh Fang," I said. "I can't dance. I can't even wave my hands in time."

_Walls of insincerity  
__Shifting eyes and vacancy  
__Vanished when I saw your face_

Fang chuckled. "Don't worry. I can lead."

_All I can say is it was, enchanting to meet you _

Fang began to step right with each strum on the guitar.

_Y__ou're eyes whispered "Have we met?"  
__Across the room, your silhouette  
__Starts to make its way to me  
__The playful conversation starts  
__Counter all your quick remarks  
__Like passing notes in secrecy  
__And it was enchanting to meet you  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you_

Fang spun us slowly as the tempo increased.

_This night is sparkling  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Blushing all the way home  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you _

Fang was right. Ballroom dancing was all about the leader. I felt my body twirling to the music as Fang spun me out and back in.

_The lingering question kept me up  
__2 AM, who do you love?  
__I wonder till I'm wide awake  
__And now I'm pacing back and forth  
__Wishing you were at my door _

Taylor Swift had really captured my emotions. I felt my heart beat faster as Fang and I spun with the music. Why did Fang have Taylor Swift on his iPod? No idea, but I was glad he did.

_I'd open up and you would say "Hey  
__It was enchanting to meet you"  
__All I know is I was enchanted to meet you _

_This night is sparkling  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Blushing all the way home  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew _

_This night is flawless  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Dancing around all alone  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you  
_  
I never wanted this moment to end. Fang and I, our bodies moving in sync…it was the best night of my life.

_This is me praying that this was the very first page  
__Not where the storyline ends  
_My thoughts will echo your name  
_Until I see you again  
__These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon  
__I was enchanted to meet you _

_Please, don't be in love with someone else  
__Please, don't have somebody waiting on you  
__Please, don't be in love with someone else  
__Please, don't have somebody waiting on you _

Now, you know in the movies, where the music starts playing and suddenly the whole room clears and the characters know how to ballroom dance perfectly? Well, it wasn't like that. It was clear because we were the only ones in the room, but I tripped over Fang's feet when he tried a move to quickly or we tried different things.

_This night is sparkling  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Blushing all the way home  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew _

I fell several times, but every time we would laugh, I would stand up, and we would keep going. I was impressed when Fang successfully lifted me by the waist and spun me around to the music.

_This night is flawless  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Dancing around all alone  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you _

_Please, don't be in love with someone else  
__Please, don't have somebody waiting on you_

We stopped with our faces an inch apart. I wanted to kiss him, but some tiny instinct told me to wait, this wasn't the right time. For some reason, I listened. My arms slid out of Fang's and he went to stop the music. I felt happier than I had ever been. "Can we…can we keep dancing?" I asked sheepishly.

Fang smiled warmly. "Oh, I'm not done yet," Then his confident grin turned into a nervous grimace. "Max, I think you're-I mean you are-the most beautiful girl I've ever met," I blushed. "And I just…I can't…," he gave an irritated sigh. "I don't know how to say what I need to. You're more than my friend Max. You're everything, and I think I know a song that really expresses how I feel."

I blinked. Oh God. He really did love me. "I won't torture you with my singing, but if you would just listen, it says everything," Fang said. We took up the same dancing position.

_Slow down, the world isn't watching us break down  
__It's safe to say we are alone now, we're alone now  
__Not a whisper, the only noise is the receiver  
__I'm counting the seconds until you break the silence  
__So please just break the silence_

This time, Fang kept his face very close to mine. I listened attentively to every lyric, absorbing. I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.

_The whispers turn to shouting  
__The shouting turns to tears  
__Your tears turn into laughter  
__And it takes away our fears_

_So you see, this world doesn't matter to me  
__I'll give up all I had just to breathe  
__The same air as you till the day that I die  
__I can't take my eyes off of you_

Seeing as Fang was immortal, that line meant he wanted to love me forever. I had never felt so…wanted.

_I'm longing, for words to describe how I'm feeling  
__I'm feeling inspired  
__My world just flips, turns upside down  
__It turns around, say what's that sound  
__It's my heartbeat, it's getting much louder  
__My heartbeat, is stronger than ever  
__I'm feeling so alive, I'm feeling so alive_

Fang moved his hands down to my waist so we could dance with our bodies closer together. My eyes were locked with his black ones.

_My whispers turn to shouting  
__The shouting turns to tears  
__Your tears turn into laughter  
__And it takes away our fears_

_So you see, this world doesn't matter to me  
__I'll give up all I had just to breathe  
__The same air as you till the day that I die  
__I can't take my eyes off of you_

Out lips were so close, but the little voice was still telling me to wait.

_I'm finally waking up, a twist in my story  
__It's time I open up, and let your love right through me  
__I'm finally waking up, a twist in my story  
__It's time I open up, and let your love right through me  
__Cuz that's what you get  
__When you see your life through someone else's eyes  
__That's what you get, that's what you get_

I saw the changes I had made him. I had melted his stone heart. I had given him a new point of view.

_So you see, this world doesn't matter to me  
__I'll give up all I had just to breathe  
__The same air as you till the day that I die  
__I can't take my eyes off of you_

_So you see, this world doesn't matter to me  
__I'll give up all I had just to breathe  
__The same air as you till the day that I die  
__I can't take my eyes off of you_

We stopped, frozen in our position. Fang's hands were on my waist, my arms resting on his shoulders. His lips were so close I could almost feel them. Our eyes were locked, but his drifted shut as finally, finally the distance between our lips closed. My eyes closed too.

It was everything I had dreamed of and more. His lips were firm but soft and very loving. Very, very lightly I felt the tip of his tongue just brush my lips. I shivered. Electricity arched across my body from everywhere we touched, electricity a thousand times stronger than anything I had ever felt with Dylan. Dylan…

I pulled away, turning my head. "What's wrong?" Fang asked.

"We can't do this," I whispered.

Fang's eyes widened. "Why? Do you…do you not feel the same way?" I realized that, like me, Fang's greatest fear was I didn't love him back.

"I do Fang, believe me, I love you with all my heart, but it won't work."

"Of course it will!" Fang said. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Because it can't Fang!" I was shouting. "Sure it would be fine now, but what about in twenty years, when I'm forty and my beauty begins to fade?" I raised my hand as he started to protest. "You know it's true. I know you don't only like me for my looks, but when I grow old, when those looks fade, you know you'll want someone closer to your age.

"And I want a family Fang! I can't raise a family here, out in the middle of the woods. I want an education, a job."

My next words broke both of our hearts. "Fang…I want to go back home."

Fang froze. I saw his eyes fill with black and his canines lengthen into full-on fangs.

"Get out," he snarled. I turned and ran. I sprinted out to my sanctuary as fast as I could.

"Max!" Gazzy called, but Angel stopped him. I collapsed into my chair, wailing. Never had I felt so much pain. I wished my words weren't true, but they were. We both knew it. That's why they hurt so much.

I heard a heartbroken, tortured howl echo from Fang's balcony. I cried harder. I sobbed until I lost consciousness.

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**Aw...poor Fax. But yay for a quick update? You can thank my writer's block for What Happens In Vegas and my sick day.**

**You guys have two options for the next chapter. I can continue on with the story and post the next chapter like normal, or I can post this chapter in Fang's POV before continuing with the story. Your choice. I will be updating What Happens In Vegas next though, even if it takes me a month.**

**Finally! A first kiss! I'd say that deserves some reviews.**


	13. What?

Chapter 13: What?

**Okay, so I got about an even number of votes between yes Fang POV, no Fang POV, and people that didn't care, (I think, I didn't bother to count), so I just decided to do both and post them at the same time. That way if you want to read the Fang POV you can, and if not you can just keep reading.**

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**Max POV:**

I forced my eyes open. Groggily, I turned over. My clock said eleven thirty. Crap. I hadn't meant to sleep this late. Must've been because last night….

Wait, what did I do last night? I remembered pulling up in the driveway, then blank. Oh well. I was probably just tired from college. Dylan was probably back, Ella was off of school, and it was time for summer.

I sat up and stretched. Then I frowned. Why had I fallen asleep in my clothes? These weren't even the clothes I had been wearing yesterday. I must have been exhausted.

I opened my door and shuffled downstairs. Where was everybody? I looked around, but I was the only one in the house. I shrugged and made myself some cereal. My head felt stuffy, not like I had a cold, but almost like my thoughts were clogged. I was probably just tired.

After I ate breakfast, I decided to have some alone time. I went upstairs and started reading a book I had been assigned for summer reading. It was surprisingly good and I found myself getting sucked into it as I annotated and took notes. I was about halfway through it when I heard the front door open. I looked at my clock. Four o'clock. Oops.

Downstairs I saw Ella…putting away her backpack? What? Why did she look like she had just come from school? Yesterday had been her last day. "Hey Ella," I said.

She spun around, her eyes expanding to the size of saucers. She looked like she had seen a ghost. "Max?" she asked, like she thought this was a trick. I nodded.

"Max!" Ella shrieked, tackling me. "You're back! Oh my God, we were so worried! You left college and never got home, and we've been looking for you for months, but we found no signs, so-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said. "What are you talking about? I just left college yesterday! How could you have been looking for me for months if it's only June?"

"June?" Ella frowned. "Max, it's the middle of September. Dylan just headed back to college two weeks ago."

"What?" I said. She was just joking around, right? "You're lying to me."

Ella took my hand and pulled over to the living room where she turned on the TV. Sure enough, the date in the corner said September nineteenth. I checked for my phone but couldn't find it, so Ella showed me hers. Same result.

"This is a joke. You're trying to freak me out," I accused. Ella shook her head. "No. No, no, no!" My voice rose an octave with every no. "What does this mean? Three and a half months of my life can't just be _gone_! What-where could I have gone? I don't even look like I've been kidnapped!" I was in full-on panic mode. This was bad. It took a lot to rattle me.

"Max, it's okay. Relax. Oh, I have to call Mom!" Ella quickly dialed a number on her phone. As she talked to Mom I walked around the house, looking for evidence that this was some twisted joke. I found my phone on my dresser, totally dead. My iPod too. The computer said the same date as everything else.

I stopped and collapsed on my bed, feeling like I was going to cry. What the Hell had happened to me? How could so much time have just been sucked out of my life? Ella knocked on my door. "Mom's on her way. She said it should be about twenty minutes."

I nodded. "Can I call Dylan?" I asked her.

"Sure," Ella said. "I don't have his number though."

"That's okay, I know it," I said.

He picked up after three rings. "Hey Ella. What's up?"

His voice, so normal and loving, broke my heart. "Dylan, it's Max," I said.

There was a beat of silence. "What?"

"It's Max, Dylan. Please tell me this is twisted joke. How can it be the middle of September?"

"Max? Max, oh God, Max you're okay!" Dylan said. "Baby, I was so worried about you! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

"Dylan, I don't know what happened," his relieved voice finally made my tears fall. "I woke up and thought it was June, but Ella said it's September, and she wasn't kidding. Four months of my life are missing. I don't remember anything before leaving college!"

"Max, baby, it's okay. I'll leave Friday as soon as my classes are over and be right there for you. I love you so, so much. Stay strong for me."

"Of course. Dylan, I love you too. I'll be right here, I promise." I hung up.

Five minutes later, Mom burst through my door. "Max! Oh Max, sweetie, I can't believe you're back!"

"Yeah, nobody can," I said.

"Maximum, what happened to you? Where have you been? You have to tell me," Mom sat down next to me.

"Mom, I can't remember anything before June, when I left college. After that it's blank," I said softly. I sounded like a scared child. I wanted my mommy to make it better.

"Sweetie, don't worry. We'll go to the therapist and the hospital and see what they think."

I looked at her. "The hospital? But I'm not hurt!"

I hated the hospital. Always had. I hated the smell and the stress. It was just awful.

Mom kissed my head. "Don't worry sweetheart, it's just for a checkup. We need to be sure you're okay."

I thought it over for a long moment. Why did it matter anymore? All I wanted was for it to be Saturday. That way I could panic curled into Dylan's muscular arms.

"Okay," I sighed. "But can we go this weekend? I want Dylan with me."

Mom looked at me. "The therapist can wait until Sunday, but I think we should probably go to the hospital today."

I groaned and flopped back onto the bed. "Fine. Can I have a minute to get ready?"

"Sure," Mom said. "I'll call ahead and make you an appointment."

I stared at my ceiling and didn't move for a good fifteen or so minutes until Mom said my appointment wouldn't be until tomorrow morning. Then I got up, headed downstairs, and plugged in my phone. I ate with Mom and Ella, took a shower, and went to bed.

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We were all thoroughly surprised by the results of my check-up. Why? Nothing was wrong.

This may not seem like a reason to be concerned, but it made the whole thing much more mysterious. Why would someone have kidnapped me if they were going to take such good care of me? The therapist would have more detail on my mental state, but physically I was in top condition.

They checked _everywhere_. I had a female doctor, but it was still weird to have her examine every inch of me naked. They even did a test to see if I was still a virgin (I was), and that was not fun. So why was I taken to, apparently, live in luxury?

Finally the weekend arrived. I had basically sat around all week, watching TV and catching up on everything that I had missed. Ella even watched _Inception_ with me. That was really weird, because even though I knew I had never seen it, I also already knew the whole plot and the ending. It was so strange. Had I been kidnapped and taken to see _Inception_?

I was jittery all Saturday morning until the doorbell rang at about ten o'clock. I opened it.

Dylan looked at me for a long moment before he whispered, "You're really okay."

I couldn't respond other than a nod. Then Dylan stepped in, closed the door, and swept me into a passionate kiss. I kissed him back, pushing my fingers into his sandy hair. I don't know how long it was before we pulled away, but it wasn't long enough. It also left me with the strangest sensation. It had filled me with longing.

Not the usual I-want-to-kiss-you-more longing, but a longing for something more. I can only describe it like this. Have you ever had plain, salted potato chips dipped in pudding? It's amazing, and after that normal potato chips taste good, but not as good. That's kind of how it felt. There was nothing wrong with Dylan or his kiss, but I felt like I had experienced something more somewhere else.

We went upstairs to my room. No, not for anything like that perverts. We just sat and talked. I told him all about my memory loss and how I was working on adjusting. He comforted me and told me about college. I would have to start again next semester.

Mom and Ella left us alone, and I couldn't have been more grateful. I just let myself go, sobbing into Dylan's arms about my problems like a total wuss. Normally, he would probably tease me for something like that, but he understood.

"Thank you," I told him when I stopped.

"You're welcome, but there's no need to thank me. I'm you're boyfriend. I have to be here for you," Dylan said.

I shook my head. "No, that's what I mean. Thank you for not immediately grabbing a new lady friend. Thank you for believing in me."

Dylan actually looked surprised. "Max, how could I even think about looking at another woman while you were missing?"

I kissed him again. We went out to dinner and decided to let Dylan stay in the guest room. And before you jump to dirty conclusions, he stayed in his room and I stayed in mine. Nothing happened.

My only question that night was why. Dylan had stayed faithful and seemed so happy, and he had been my whole world before I vanished. So why did I feel like I was missing something? Why did I feel such longing?

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**Once again, I'll try not to take so long updating, but no guarantees. Read, review, and stay tuned! Unless you're changing the channel to my other story. ;)**


	14. Important Questions

Chapter 14: Important Questions

**Boo! I'm back from the dead! Sorry it's been so long. I updated WHIVDAST then wrote a mini-fic then updated Vegas again, but I'm updating this now.**

**Disclaimer: I disclaim.**

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**Max POV:**

I sighed. Dylan rubbed the back of my hand. "Max, it won't be that bad. Besides, I'll be right beside you the whole time," Dylan assured me. We were in the waiting room at the therapist's office. I still had no memories of where I had been, but whenever I thought really hard about it, I got an intense feeling of melancholy.

"Maxine Martinez?" The therapist said. "I can see you now."

Ugh. She sounded like a doctor, and I hate doctors. I stood up and headed back into a room with her. I expected it to be like in all the movies, where I would lay on a couch and the psychologist would ask me things and take notes on a notepad. Instead, there was a comfy-looking recliner for me and the doctor had a simple office chair and an iPad. I guess that's modern-day for you.

Mom was working today and Ella was out with some friends. I promised to tell them if the therapist helped me remember anything. However, I publicly doubted that this would help my memory at all.

"My name is Dr. Miras," the doctor began. I was sitting in Dylan's lap on the recliner. "How are you?"

"Fabulous," I said, my voice venomous.

Dylan nudged me. "Max, come on. At least play along," Dylan murmured.

I sighed. "Fine. I'm upset, obviously. Months of my life are missing, and nobody has any reason why. I'm not hurt, I'm still a virgin, and I know the end to _Inception_. It's very confusing."

Dr. Miras and Dylan both gave me strange looks. "You…know the end to _Inception_?" Dr. Miras clarified. "Is that what you said?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My sister and I watched it the other night, and I hadn't ever seen it, but I knew all the characters and the plot and the ending. I watched it and it felt like major déjà vu," I explained.

"Okay," the woman muttered, typing something on her iPad. "So, other than that, have you had anything else trigger unexplained feelings or visions or anything?"

I shrugged. "Not really. It's weird though, because if I ever think about it really hard, I get all sad."

Dr. Miras looked at me with interest. "Oh really? What kind of sad? Longing, terror, or just general depression?"

"Longing," I said. "Like I miss it there. Wherever 'there' is."

Dr. Miras nodded. "Okay Max, I don't really know if I should say this with your boyfriend in the room, but…do you think there's a possibility you were with another guy?"

My mouth opened to protest when I was shocked with the vivid mental image of a mouth on mine. Not Dylan's, but one that was also very soft and loving. I also got a flash of deep, black eyes.

"Max? What happened?" Dylan asked, concerned. I shook my head.

"Max," Dr. Miras said softly. "Please."

I took a deep breath. "It was like a vision or a memory or something of eyes. Black eyes," I didn't want to mention the kiss, not with Dylan here.

"All black? Were they menacing or anything?"

"No. It was like the iris was black, and they still had whites around them. They were human eyes. And they weren't scary, they were…warm," I was whispering at the end.

Dylan tensed. "Wait, so…you might have been cheating on me?" he asked sadly.

"No!" I blurted. "I mean, I guess I don't know, because I can't remember, but I don't think so. Why would I have cheated on you?"

Dylan looked hurt. "I don't know. You promise you're still a virgin? The doctor said so?"

I was appalled. "Dylan! Of course I'm still a virgin. What, did you think I left and whored myself out?"

"I don't know! I'm just confused is all."

"Me too," I said, softer now. "But I promise, I may not remember exactly what happened, but you're the only man for me Dylan."

"Well," Dr. Miras said. "I don't think we can rule out another man just yet. The only thing is, I have absolutely no idea why your memory is gone. The only time that happens is if you're intoxicated or suppressing a traumatic event. Maybe you're in denial of the fact you were with another man, so your mind is shutting those memories down."

"But that doesn't make sense!" I said angrily. "Why would I have gone to another guy when I already have the perfect guy right here?"

"You did actually lose your memory, right Max?" Dylan asked softly.

I looked at him, stunned. "Of course I lost my memory! Dylan, I _swear_ I don't know what happened," I felt stupid tears forming in my eyes.

"I think that's enough for one day," Dr. Miras cut in, "I'll see you next week, okay Max?"

"Okay," I said. Dylan and I headed out.

"That was much shorter than I expected," I said brightly. Dylan just shrugged, looking moodily at the ground. "Hey," I stopped him in front of his car. "I promise, I love you. I wasn't with another man Dylan."

"But you don't know that," he whispered. "You can't remember."

I frowned. "Hey, let's go get some dinner and go for a walk in the park. I think we need a date night."

Dylan nodded, but he still looked sad. I grabbed his wrists and stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He smiled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms slid around my waist. I tilted my head and sighed. We pulled apart.

"So, Chili's?" Dylan said.

"Chili's," I agreed.

We drove to Chili's in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence exactly, but it wasn't a comfortable one either. I looked out the window, thinking. Could I really have been with another man? That would explain the sadness, the loss of sparks with Dylan, the warm eyes, and the whole kiss-vision thing I just had. But who on Earth could I have found that was better than Dylan?

Neither of us brought the whole memory thing again during dinner. Dylan caught me up on college and what was going on with our friends. He made me laugh and made me feel normal again. I don't know where I was or who I was with, but I highly doubt it was better than this.

After dinner Dylan drove us over to the park. We walked over to the swings and sat down. "Dylan, I don't care what may have happened while I was gone," I said after another brief silence, "But I don't care. I love you. I'm going to put aside the missing summer and look ahead. Can you do the same?"

Dylan didn't look up from the ground. "Yes, I can do the same. And I'm glad you say that because I have an important question for you."

I was frozen in surprise as Dylan walked in front of my unmoving swing and knelt down. In his hand was a little velvet box. I slapped one hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream.

Oh my God. Was he...?

"Max," Dylan began shyly, "I love you. I've loved you for years and I hope to love you for many more. I don't know what happened this summer, but I also hope we an put it behind us and look ahead. So, Maxine Martinez, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?"

I was so excited I couldn't speak, but I nodded frantically. "Yes," I managed. "Oh God Dylan, YES!" I cried throwing myself at him.

"Thank God," Dylan murmured. Several people around us started laughing and clapping, and I blushed deeply. I had forgotten we were in public. Dylan was grinning from ear to ear now, and he took my hand and we headed over to his car.

"Do you always carry the ring with you?" I asked.

Dylan shook his head. "No. I bought it before you disappeared, and I kept it just in case. Then I decided, since you and I would be alone, I'd ask tonight."

I smiled. "Well, don't worry. I can't wait to marry you."

We pulled up to my house and went inside. "Well," Dylan murmured seductively. "Your mom and Ella won't be home for another hour, so…"

I giggled and pulled him upstairs into my room. We laid down on my bed, kissing passionately. Screw sparks. I loved him. We were getting married. Nobody else could possibly compare.

I made out with _fiancée_ (eeep!) until we were both panting. Dylan's fingers played under my shirt. "Hey," I warned, pulling them out.

Dylan smirked. "I know, I know, I want to wait until we're married too. That doesn't mean I don't want you like crazy."

I kissed him. "Only a few more months to wait."

"Oh, baby. I can't wait until the honeymoon. You and me, the things we can do in the moonlight…"

I giggled. "Where are we going, anyway?" I asked.

Dylan smiled. "I have a few ideas, but you're going to have to wait and be surprised."

I groaned. "You know I hate not knowing things!" Dylan laughed and we heard a door open downstairs.

"We're home!" Ella called. Mom picked her up on the way home.

I grinned. "Well, time to share the good news."

Ella reacted exactly as I expected. "OMG! HE PROPOSED! I can't believe it! I mean, I knew he was going to, but I didn't know it would be tonight! Oh gosh Max, you're getting married! We should have a party! We can invite all of your friends and my friends and have a party celebrating your return and your engagement! Oh Max, what do you think?"

Her rant reminded me of someone, but I couldn't place who. Another memory thing, I guess. "Sure Ella, we can have a party. But a casual one, okay? I don't want to have to wear a dress."

Ella nodded and sprinted to her room to plan. Mom smiled and hugged both me and Dylan. "I'm so happy for you two. I know you'll be very happy together."

She too headed upstairs tired from a long day, but I knew on the inside she was reacting just like Ella.

I grinned at Dylan. "I'm so excited."

"I know," he said. "Me too."

We kissed again. Black Eyes, I don't know who you belong to, but I don't care. I'm just fine right here.

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**Please don't hate on all the Mylan. There will be Fax again soon. And hopefully a quick update. Review? :)**


	15. Deja Vu

Chapter 15: Déjà Vu

**Hey! If you don't already know because you're lame and don't read What Happens In Vegas, my computer is fixed! There will be a longer AN at the bottom. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that I don't own.**

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**Max POV:**

I flipped the page of my book. It was _Torment_ by Lauren Kate. I guess I read while I was off with Black Eyes, because I knew I had read this stuff before, but I was reading it again anyway. Someone knocked on my door, and Ella came in without waiting for an answer.

"What do you want?" I asked, not looking up. That meant I didn't see her face until she jumped me and wrestled me into the bathroom. "Ella! What the frick are you doing!" I complained as she locked the door.

"You know tonight is your party! I have to make you look all pretty!" Ella said nervously.

My eyes widened. "No! Absolutely not! I told you I wanted it to be a casual party!"

"It is!" Ella assured me. "But you're the guest of honor. You still have to look nice."

I huffed. "I can't get out of this, can I?" Ella shook her head. "Fine. But nothing too over-the-top."

"Max, please," Ella said, rolling her eyes. She already had everything in the bathroom, from my outfit to the hair staightener. After over an hour of brushing and applying, Ella was done. I stepped back so I could see my entire body in the mirror.

I had a one-shouldered top that started off dark blue near the bottom and faded to a lighter blue at the shoulder. I had on dark skinny jeans and black knee-high boots with a small heel. Ella had straightened my hair and applied smoky blue eye shadow with a tiny amount of eyeliner. She also painted my nails deep blue. My diamond engagement ring glittered on the third finger of my left hand.

I smiled. "Well, I guess I do look pretty good, huh? Thanks Ella."

She grinned. "No problem. Now go wait downstairs. People should be arriving within an hour."

I went downstairs and helped Mom clear away space in the living room for a dance floor. Dylan, his family, and some of Ella's friends were coming over. We only had local friends coming over, so about thirty people were on the guest list.

Dylan was, of course, the first to arrive. Ryan and their mom Erin came in after him. "Hey babe," Dylan said, pulling me aside, "You look gorgeous."

I blushed. "Thanks. Ella did all of it," I admitted.

Dylan shrugged. "Well, she did a great job." He leaned in and kissed me quickly. Other guests started arriving a few minutes later. Dylan's friend Brian, who had gone to high school with us. Lissa and Brigid Dwyer, whom I hated. The hate was mutual, but their mom and mine had been friends for years, meaning they were invited anyways. The twins, Autumn and Summer, came after them. They had been friends with Ella for years.

Several more people followed, and Dylan and I greeted them all, accepting their thanks with bright smiles. Ella had pop music playing over the speakers from her iPod, and people were swaying to the beat. Dylan stepped away to talk to a few of his old friends.

"Oh, making your whore-fest with Dylan official I see," a bitchy voice said. I turned to see Lissa, her red hair up and her boobs practically popping out of her ugly shirt.

"Really?" I asked. "You're calling me a whore? No one would marry you, you look too easy. You can't be trusted."

"Really? I can't be trusted? At least black eyes aren't threatening my relationships."

My blood ran cold. "How could you possibly-?" But Lissa was gone.

I was disoriented now. How the Hell had Lissa known about the black eyes? I shook it off. Dylan found me and gave me some punch a few minutes later. "Are you alright? You look a little pale," Dylan said, worried.

I shrugged. "Don't worry. I just had a little run-in with Lissa."

"Ugh," Dylan said. "They are definitely not invited to the wedding. I don't think Brigid understands that I'm engaged." I frowned. That stupid slut. "But anyway," Dylan continued, "It's our party. Are you enjoying it?"

"Other than the Dwyers being here, yes, I am enjoying it." Dylan leaned down to kiss me and a few people whistled. We broke apart and rolled our eyes. I stayed away from the dance floor for a while, talking to people and catching up on the rest of what I had missed. They expressed their concerns about me and my memory loss, but I assured them I was fine and couldn't wait for the wedding.

After an hour or so, Dylan caught my hand and pulled me towards the dance area. "Alright m'lady, it's high time we spent some time alone."

"Dylan, you know I don't want to dance," I protested.

"But you'll have to dance at the wedding," he pointed out. "Think of this as practice."

"Fine," I sighed. Ella changed the song on the iPod as I said, "But you know I can't dance. I can hardly wave my hands in time."

Dylan laughed softly. "That's okay. I bet I can lead."

_"Oh Fang, I can't dance. I can't even wave my hands in time."_

_"Don't worry. I can lead."_

I blinked rapidly. What was that? Who the heck was Fang?

"Max? Are you okay?" Dylan asked as the song began.

"Yeah, I-" I stopped, frozen.

_There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles…_

This song…I got a full image this time. A tall, handsome man with glowing black eyes and a gentle smile. Fang. We were…dancing? To this song?

The music stopped. I looked up sharply and saw Ella with her finger on the pause button, looking at me. "Max? Are you okay?" Dylan asked.

"What? Yeah, of course. Turn the song back on," I demanded. Ella shrugged and hit play again. I let Dylan spin me softly, but I wasn't focused on him. My mind felt like something as straining inside of it, trying to get out. As the song played, I continued to get flashes of Fang, spinning me in and out. Flashes of intense happiness accompanied them. Was this the guy I had been with away from Dylan? Was this who I was missing?

The song ended, but my head was throbbing. I had a feeling I was close to a breakthrough. I also had a feeling that if I didn't act soon, I would lose it. A few snippets of lyrics flickered across my brain, random and confusing. Wait. I _knew _that song. Summer had done a big fancy dance routine to that song a few years ago, and it had been the talk of the town.

"Max?" Dylan asked, concerned. I pushed him away and found Summer, grabbing her shoulder.

"Hey sugar. What's wrong?" Summer turned to me, her brown ponytail swinging.

"What's that song you did a dance routine to? The big one?"

"Oh, A Twist In My Story. Why?" Autumn came over to stand by her twin.

"It's important. Can I hear it?" Summer raised one eyebrow but handed me her iPhone. I pressed the ear buds in and asked Ella to pause the stereo. I started the song. When nothing happened, I gave Dylan an ear bud and said, "Dance with me."

Dylan looked a little weirded out, but he spun me around like I asked. It was coming back faster now. Yes, I loved Fang. I loved him much more than Dylan, but…we couldn't be together, and I wasn't sure why yet. When the song ended, my head was surging painfully. I kissed Dylan on the mouth and whatever wall was in my head broke.

"Oh!" I gasped and slid down against the wall. It all came flooding back to me. The Mansion, Iggy, Angel, the Flock, Fang, Fang, Fang. I loved him. I loved them all. I felt very disoriented and handed Summer her phone back. "Thank you," I said. "I-I need some time alone." And with that, I sprinted up to my room.

I closed the door and collapsed on my bed. Oh my God. I knew what ha happened now. Angel must have wiped my memory and sent me home. I felt my chest ache as I thought about that last night with Fang. Did he hate me? I hoped not. I had a feeling that he just hated our situation, as did I.

Now I was faced with a very difficult decision. I could stay here with Dylan, who was perfectly wonderful, and live a long happy life but miss the Flock, or I could go back to the Mansion and hope that Fang would take me back. After all, it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, right?

There was a knock on my door. "Max?" It was Ella. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"Come in Ella. But only you," I added incase anyone else was with her. She stepped inside and locked the door.

"What happened? Was it a memory thing?" Ella asked gently. I nodded, face down in my blanket. "Did all of your memories come back?" I nodded again. There were a few heartbeats of silence before she gently prompted, "So…?"

I turned to her and realized that tears had started gently running down my cheeks. "There…there was someone else, Ella."

She didn't seem to understand at first. "Wait, you mean another guy? Besides Dylan?"

I nodded my head and whimpered a little. "Yes. I love him more than anything else in the world. But circumstance is sort of in the way."

"Is Dylan keeping you apart?" Ella asked.

"He's part of it, but just a little. I can't really explain. I'm just confused now. That's why I needed to be alone."

Ella sighed. "Then I guess I'll let you think. But if you're going to leave Dylan, you better make sure this other guy is freaking amazing, because Dylan's as close to perfect as I thought a guy could get." She left.

Ella was right. If I was going to leave Dylan for Fang, then it had better work out. There was no changing my mind. True love, or easy-breezy happiness? It would be so simple to marry Dylan, move in together, have a family….

But then there was Fang. My life would forever be haunted by thoughts of him. If only I could forget him again, and live a happy, normal life. But no. Maybe…maybe I could just….

I pushed my hands through my hair, and tears started rolling down my cheeks even faster. I couldn't make this decision. This was awful. Another knock on the door made me turn around. "Come in," I sniffled.

Dylan came in and sat down next to me. "Max? Honey, what happened?"

My heart snapped in half. He was so sweet, but he wasn't Fang. After all, if things didn't work out with Fang, I could always request he drop me in somewhere like Paris or London this time. "Max?" Dylan prompted.

"I-I got my memory back," I muttered. Dylan moved to put his arms around me, but I moved away.

"What's wrong? Did something horrible happen?" Dylan's eyebrows scrunched together. Dammit, couldn't he at least _try_ to make this easy? When I was silent, it clicked for him. "There _was_ someone else, wasn't there?"

I nodded, sobbing. "Dylan, I'm sorry-"

"How could you?" Dylan sounded furious. "I gave you everything! I would have had sex if you had wanted it! I _waited_ for you for four f**king months, convinced you were in horrible danger or something, and _this_ is what I get for it?" Tears were streaming out of both of our eyes now.

"I _was_ in danger! I was kidnapped! But…," I couldn't continue.

"But what? You fell in love with your kidnapper?" He demanded. I nodded feebly. "You…," He didn't finish.

"I'm sorry Dylan," I muttered. He didn't respond, only held out his hand. "What?" I asked, confused.

"The ring. You won't be needing it anymore," Dylan said icily. He looked crushed, but he was right. I couldn't marry him while I loved someone else. I pulled the diamond ring off of my finger and dropped it into his palm.

"I'm sorry Dylan," I whispered.

He lifted his head, his gorgeous blue eyes full of tears. "Me too," he replied. He left to cancel the rest of the party.

I sobbed for the next hour, until I couldn't cry anymore. I refused to talk to anyone. When I couldn't cry anymore, I looked over my clock. It was just past eleven o'clock. I bit my lip, then went and pulled my suitcase out of my closet. I packed whatever clothes I could fit after I added several precious souvenirs, a few photo albums, and my laptop. Nudge would probably restock me anyway. I grabbed my wallet, my phone, and my charger.

It was nearly one in the morning when I finally crept out to my car with my suitcase and my favorite pillow. Luckily I had parked in the driveway so I wouldn't wake anyone with the garage door. I pulled away and drove into the woods, back to where my cursed love was waiting.

I tried to ignore the fact that, when morning came, Mom and Ella would be sobbing over the note left next to my bed.

_I broke off my engagement with Dylan. It turns out that I'm in love with someone else. I love you. I promise I'll try to visit, but no guarantees. He's amazing though, the one I'm leaving for. Don't hate me._

_~Love, Max_

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**Yes, I am 100% team Fax, but I do feel a little sorry for Dylan here.**

**So, my computer is fixed, and I'll do my best to update regularly. I do have school and stuff though, so don't bug me.**

**Sorry if Autumn and Summer seemed random. They're my OCs, and they have their whole own adventure with the Flock in my head where Summer's dance routine to _A Twist In My Story_ is very imprortant, so I added them in this chapter. They won't appear again in this story, but I love them, so I added them anyway. Is that weird?**

**Thank you guys soooooo much for all of the reviews. Over 400 reviews for just 15 chapters? Incredible. Maybe we cn get a few more for this chappie. ;)**

**Fang is indeed back in the next chapter, and make sure to check out my other story, What Happens In Vegas Doesn't Always Stay There.**

**~BirdKidKirby**


	16. Reunited

Chapter 16: Reunited

**1 chapter+51 reviews=Total. Brain. Overload. I couldn't believe the number of reviews you guys gave me! It's crazy awesome. :)**

**So, without further ado, the next chapter.**

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**Max POV:**

I camped out in my car on the outskirts of town until a reasonable time of day. At about seven o'clock in the morning I started driving through the woods towards the Mansion. By the time I arrived it was about eight o'clock. As I was getting out of my car, it occurred to me that if they didn't accept me back into their life, I was severely screwed. Oh well, too late for that now.

I walked up to the door, but before I could use the brass knocker, the oak door flew open and I was tackled to the ground. "Max! You're back! OMG I was so upset when we came home from the club and Angel said you were gone and she said that you and Fang kissed and I was like _Whoa finally! _but then Angel said you two fought and you were sent home all brain-washed ad stuff, so we were all sad and Fang and Iggy got all mopey and stuff so-"

"Nudge!" I interrupted, laughing. "No worries, I'm back now. I missed you too."

I pushed her off of me and went inside. Everyone was there waiting for me, with the exception of the one person I wanted to see. My heart sank. Maybe he didn't care that I was back.

Angel gave me a sympathetic look. "He's still a little shaken up," she assured me. "He really is glad you're back, but I don't think he quite knows what to do when he sees you."

_Turn human. Embrace me. Pull me close and kiss me the way we've both wanted him to for so long._ I thought to myself.

Angel giggled. "Don't worry, he has considered all of those already."

I gave her a small smile then everybody came over and hugged me. "How are you guys? Everyone okay?" I asked, grinning like crazy.

"Of course we're fine!" Eliza said with a roll of her eyes. "What about you? You have to tell us everything that happened while you were home."

"Yeah," Jennifer added, "How's your sister? Oh, what was her name…Emma?"

"Close. Her name is Ella," I corrected. "And she was fine. Guys, I would love to catch up, but I want to unload my stuff from my car and settle back in first," I said.

"Sure thing," Iggy said. "Your room is still open. As is mine," he added with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up Iggy. I think I'll keep to _my_ bed."

"Or Fang's," Owen added slyly. I glared but didn't deny it. Then I went out to my car and brought in my suitcase and pillow. I went upstairs and started unpacking.

I set some of my old souvenirs out on top of my dresser. I had a few snow globes, some figurines, and a Mickey Mouse picture frame of me, Mom, and Ella at Disney World when I was a sophomore. I smiled sadly, looking at the photo. If only I could go back to when things were simple. There was a part of me that missed when Dylan was perfect, college was annoying, and the Mansion was just a creepy house. At the same time, there was a part of me that loved it here, isolated away from normality with Fang. If only he would talk to me….

I was startled by a knock on the door. "Max? Can I come in?" My heart sank. It was Iggy, not _him_.

"Sure," I said. I could hear the tinge of sadness in my tone. I really wanted to talk to Fang.

Iggy walked in and carefully made his way over to the foot of my bed, where he stood and looked in my general direction. "Hey. I don't feel like I gave you a very good welcome downstairs."

I smiled, a little confused. "I didn't want a welcome home party. What you guys did was fine," I sighed and added, "Well, I wish Fang had been there."

Iggy looked at me (sort of), "So, you and Fang…are you guys like a thing?"

I was vaguely curious as to why Iggy cared, but I said, "I don't know. We kissed and it was awesome, but…I don't know. That's why I wanted to talk to him so badly."

"Oh," Iggy said softly. He sounded a little disappointed.

"Why?" I asked, my lips quirking in an almost-smile. "Are you gay for him? Afraid that now he'll never go shoe shopping with you?" I teased.

"Not quite," Iggy said, moving so he was standing closer to me. "It's just…I want to make sure, before you tie yourself to Fang, that you've considered all of your options."

"I-What?" I asked, totally lost. Then Iggy put his hand under my chin and kissed me. He missed slightly at first, hitting just above my lips, but he quickly adjusted.

Whoa, whoa, wait a second. Back up. Iggy _kissed_ me? What the Hell? That's like-what? I mean, me and Iggy, what is that, Miggy? Ew. That's like, that's not a thing! I raised my hands to push Iggy off and tell him that I didn't fell that way, but before I could, something made my heart stop.

"Max?" I pulled away and looked at the door, my eyes wide and panicked. Fang was standing there in full wolf form, his eyes full of hurt. Crap crap crap crap crap crap _crap_. He shook his head before I could explain what was going on. "You're _unbelievable_," he growled, turning and running off.

"No. Fang!" I called, "Fang! You don't understand!"

"Max," Iggy started, holding on to my arms.

I shoved him, maybe a little harder than I meant to, and said, "Get off of me!" I didn't mean to be rude, but I had to get to Fang and explain. I ran out into the hall and sprinted up the stairs, calling Fang's name.

I reached his door and started banging on it. "Fang, please listen to me! That wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh really?" he called back, "That was pretty hard to mistake. You-and I quote-'came back for me', then kissed one of my best friends."

"I didn't kiss him, he kissed me. I didn't know how to respond."

I heard him make a skeptical noise. "Really? It all seems pretty slutty to me."

I recoiled, stung. "I'm not a slut!" I protested. "You're being a real dick considering everything I gave up for you."

Fang made a _pssh_ sound. "I don't care. Why don't you go make out with Owen now?"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "You asshole! I left my family, gave up a normal life, and broke off my engagement to be here with you. Now you won't even listen to me!"

It was quiet for a moment, then Fang's door opened. He gave me a surprised look. "Did you say something about an engagement?" Fang asked softly.

I nodded, fuming. He moved aside and motioned for me to come in. I stepped past him and leaned on the edge of his bed frame as Fang closed and locked the door. We stared at each other tensely for a moment until Fang prompted, "Engagement?"

"Yeah," I muttered. I knew I sounded extremely bitter. "When I went back, I started up with Dylan again and he asked me to marry him. I said yes, of course, because I couldn't remember a reason not to."

Fang's tail swished back and forth as he looked at the floor. "So why did you come back?"

I sighed. "Because when Dylan and I danced to _Enchanted_ my memory started coming back, so then we danced to _A Twist In My Story_ and everything sort of flooded into my mind. I thought about it for awhile then decided that I couldn't marry Dylan when I was in love with you." Could all of this have really happened just a few hours ago?

"You're in love with me?" Fang asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course I am. I don't have flings with anything that's drunk and the opposite sex. I meant that kiss."

"But you said you wanted to go home," Fang turned his head away, "You were right about those things you said. Why bother trying if I'll just be ruined in the end?"

I moved towards him and he moved back. "I don't want to think about the future Fang. I want to focus on now. I'll never be happy with anyone else, I know it. Please can we just try?"

Fang shook his head. "No! Don't you get it? Maybe that will work for you, where you'll either die or leave and forget me at some point, but I can't do that. I'm stuck here and stuck living. I'll never forget you Max. I'll never move on, I know it. I'd rather rip off the bandage now and not even bother than have it feel ten times worse later."

I had never thought about it like that. I understood where Fang was coming from, but this was me we were talking about. I wasn't about to take no for an answer. I had given up my whole life for him, and he was going to love me whether it was practical or not. I did the only logical thing I could think of. I lunged forward and kissed him, fur, muzzle, and all. It was a little gross, sure, but whatever. It made my point hit even harder.

Fang made a surprised noise and froze for a second. Then I felt the fur pulling away from his face and his snout flattening into warm, full lips. Human Fang wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his bed. I leaned back and grinned.

"So, does this mean you're willing to try a relationship?" I asked softly.

Fang looked at me and took a deep breath. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? You don't have anywhere else to go."

He kissed me again before I could respond. These kisses were hot and needy. I whimpered and Fang pulled me into the middle of the bed. We kissed in a way that was steamy and intense. I had never kissed anyone like this before. Fang kissed up my neck, pushing me into the pillows. His fingers slid under my shirt, brushing the bottom edge of my bra. He made a noise at the back of his throat.

I pushed him off, scooting away. I had nearly forgotten what kind of relationship Fang was used to.

I looked at him sheepishly. He looked confused. "Um," I began awkwardly, putting my hand on the back of my neck. Fang's eyes widened as my actions added up.

"No," he said, sounding a little desperate, like I would say he was wrong. "No. Max, come on!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry Fang. I'm just not interested in a sexual relationship right now. I want to give it a few months first, if not longer."

Fang groaned, flopping back onto the pillows. "You've got to be kidding me!"

I frowned. "I'm serious, actually. And another thing. This," I motioned to myself and then to him, "Is exclusive. If you so much as look suggestively at another girl, I'll put a knife through your heart and we'll see how immortal you really are. You can handle a sex break."

Fang looked over at me. "I've been on a sex break for about forty years Max."

I shrugged. "Well, then a little while longer won't kill you."

Fang grabbed my arms and starting kissing my neck again. "You sure I can't change your mind?" He whispered seductively in my ear, running his hands down my sides. I nodded. "Fine," he muttered. "I knew you would be high maintenance." He turned me so I was looking at him and smiled warmly. "I don't mind. I love you."

"I love you too," I said. We went back to making out. Fang was a really good kisser. Practice makes perfect, I guess.

"Guys?" Gazzy's voice interrupted from the other side of the door, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Iggy made brunch. He, uh, cooks a lot when he's upset, so we kind of need your help to eat it all."

"Oh, I should probably talk to him," I said.

"I bet he's fine." Fang said, sounding a little jealous.

I smiled at my new boyfriend. "Don't worry, I still love you, I just feel bad about the way I treated Iggy earlier." Fang nodded.

We got downstairs where Iggy had indeed cooked up an enormous breakfast, with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit. My stomach growled, but I ignored it and tapped Iggy's shoulder. "Can I talk to you?" I asked.

Iggy looked like he was going to refuse, but he changed his mind and muttered "Fine."

We stepped out into the hall. "Look, Iggy, I didn't mean to be so harsh earlier. It was just, I was on rocky ground with Fang already, so I wanted to clear things up before he got too upset. But I don't-"

"I know, I know, you don't feel the same. I get it. I'm glad you didn't mean to be so rude," he gave me a weak smile. "So…friend zone for Igster?"

"Yeah," I said, "Sorry Iggy."

"It's okay," he sighed. We headed back into the dining room and grabbed enough food to feed the army. I sat next to Fang and smiled at him. He squeezed my hand underneath the table. Why worry about the future when we could enjoy the present?

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**YAY! Fax! Yay! Reviews! YAAAAAAY! HUNGER GAMES! I'm going tomorrow at 4:25, right after school. So exciting!**

**Keep those reviews coming, and may the odds be ever in your favor. ;)**


	17. Morning Wood

Chapter 17: Morning Wood

**Lovely chapter title, isn't it? ;)**

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**Max POV:**

Fang and I had been dating for three incredible weeks. He had taken me on one romantic date to a fancy restaurant in some city, but our other few dates had simply been private dinners here at the Mansion. However, we spent _a lot _of time making out. Like, anytime we had a few minutes of not doing anything (which, as you know, was most of the time) we would latch onto each other's faces. I couldn't help it. He was such a good kisser.

I couldn't seem to get the "no sex" thing across to him though. I don't think a day went by where he didn't at least ask me to have sex with him. It was starting to get really annoying. I said I didn't want to have sex right now, and I meant it. I had already promised myself that I would really yell at him about it later.

Right now, however, I had to get him out of bed. It was 11:30 on a Tuesday, and that goofball was _still_ sleeping. The kids wanted to do something today, so Nudge told me to ask Fang what they had available. I was panting by the time I finished climbing up the stairs. _Geez,_ _I'm getting out of shape in here._ I thought to myself.

I knocked softly on Fang's door and peeked inside. He was propping himself up on one arm and looked like he had woken up as I was coming up the stairs. I saw him wince and curse to himself. I wondered what was wrong. "Morning sleepyhead," I said. "I was just coming to wake you."

Fang looked up at me and I saw a flash of panic before he gave me a forced-looking smile. What the Hell? "Morning," he replied tensely. I walked over to his bed and leaned in to kiss him. The second our lips touched, Fang grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back. "Not now baby. Go downstairs, I'll meet you in a little bit," Fang said.

I frowned and put my knees on his bed, preparing to crawl all the way over to him. "Fang-" I started.

He held up one hand. "Max, please. Just wait for me downstairs."

I frowned. "Okay." I left feeling confused and hurt. Had I done something wrong? Fang never turned down a kiss from me. Did I still have morning breath? He had never seemed to care before.

I walked into the kitchen where Iggy was just about to begin making lunch. He said he was making sub sandwiches or something.

"Iggy, do you know where Angel is?" I asked.

"Um…," Iggy said.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks Igster."

_I'm up in my room._ Angel said.

I walked back up the stairs to Angel's room. "Angel, do you now what's wrong with Fang? I went in to say good morning and he was acting all weird. Did I upset him or something?"

To my surprise, Angel started laughing. "What are you laughing at?" I snapped. I felt embarrassed, but I wasn't sure why.

Angel shook her head. "Oh, I'm not laughing at you Max, I'm laughing Fang, or rather, his situation."

"Huh?" I tilted my head, confused.

Angel tried to stop giggling. "Well, let's just say Fang was having a very hot dream about you last night and he woke up this morning feeling really…stiff."

It took me a second to understand. "Oh," my eyes widened. "_Oh_." I started laughing too.

Angel giggled some more. "So yeah, you didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he's taking a cold shower right now, so he'll probably be down in just a minute."

"Okay," I giggled. "Thanks, Ange."

"No problem," she smirked.

I walked out of her room and went to get my hair brushed. Then I started heading upstairs to check on Fang. I met him halfway on the stairs. "Hey baby," Fang said with a flip of his silky hair. "I'm sorry about earlier, I-"

"It's okay," I said, grinning. "A little birdie told me that somebody had a naughty dream last night and had to pay the price when they woke up." I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

Fang blushed. "Damn Angel," he muttered. His eyes became unfocused and I knew he was talking to her mentally. I saw the corners of his mouth tug down in a slight frown.

I got tired of waiting after a moment and started kissing Fang's neck from behind. "Fang…," I moaned. "We haven't really kissed yet today."

That snapped Fang out of his stupor real fast. He turned around and mashed his lips against mine, quickly winding his arms around me. I grinned against his mouth and pushed my fingers into his hair. Fang started to slowly step towards me and pressed me against the wall. Oh God, I was in Heaven!

"Guys, lunch is ready," Iggy said from surprisingly close. I jumped away from Fang and wiped my mouth off, looking sheepishly at Iggy.

"We'll be right down," I said with a sweet smile.

Iggy pointed at us. "No more making out, okay?"

"No promises," Fang muttered. I nudged him. Iggy frowned and headed back downstairs. Fang immediately turned around and pressed his tongue against my lips again. I grinned and moaned slightly.

"_Fang!_" Iggy snapped from the staircase.

Fang sighed and pulled back. "Angel is really getting on my nerves today." He leaned in for more kissing but I put my hands on his chest.

"I'm hungry," I said sternly, "Maybe more after lunch."

"There's no 'maybe' about it," Fang whispered with his lips against my ear. I shivered slightly as he pulled away. We walked downstairs hand-in-hand.

Iggy had set up a buffet with sub sandwich bread, a variety of meats and cheeses, several dressings and some vegetables. In other words, we were doing a make-your-own-sandwich type of thing. I made myself two sandwiches with ham, turkey, cheddar cheese, mayo, honey mustard, pickles, lettuce and olives.

Fang looked at my plate and raised one eyebrow. "How can you possibly eat that much?" he asked.

I glared as we sat down. "It's the same amount that you have!"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a guy."

I rolled my eyes and bit into my sandwich. "I'm more masculine than most guys I know anyway."

"Really," Fang whispered, leaning in close to my ear. "I think you're plenty feminine."

I laughed softly. "That's not what you said a few months ago," I said, referring to the time we had talked during a thunderstorm to calm me down.

"Well, I was still trying to deny my feelings for you at this time," Fang murmured, still pressing his lips against my ear. He moved his hand so it was on my thigh, close to my hip. "But I think at this point I've made my opinion on your maidenhood _quite _clear."

I gasped and smacked him across the face. "Ow!" he cried, more out of shock than pain.

"Hmph," I turned away, "You deserve that for more than just that remark."

"Seriously Fang, do you _have _to talk about sex at the table? Like, some of us are eating," Eliza protested. The others agreed.

Fang just shrugged. "Whatever."

"Anyway," Nudge cut in, "What should we do today? I totes want to get out of here, I'm _so_ bored. We could shop or bowl or, like, go to a carnival! I bet there's one around somewhere. Oh, and Halloween is soon isn't it, so soon we could-"

"Yes, Nudge," Fang cut in, still rubbing his cheek, I noted with satisfaction, "Glad you have those ideas and I'm sure many more, but does anyone else have any ideas?"

"I want to go swimming," Gazzy said. Jennifer, Owen, and Angel agreed.

I frowned. "We can't go swimming, it's October and getting colder every day. We'd get hypochondria!"

"I think you mean hypothermia," Iggy said with an amused grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." Of course the Mansion had a pool out back, but it would be freezing.

"We have an indoor pool, you know," Angel said.

"You do?" I asked, surprised. Several kids nodded. "Then why haven't I seen it?"

"Because it's off of the property, in the woods. It has it's whole own building." Gazzy said. "Can we go Fang, please?"

Fang shrugged. "Sure. Everyone get changed and we'll head out there."

The Flock cheered and ran off to change. I stood up and put my plate in the sink. "There's still so much I don't know about you guys," I said, "I didn't know you had a secret pool."

"You need to stop talking like that," Fang said softly.

I gave him a confused look. "Like what?"

"Like you're separate. You're a part of our family now Max." His eyes darkened. "I-I'm not looking forward to the day when we're separated," he whispered.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck. Fang leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine so we were looking each other in the eye. "Then don't think about it. you know me, and I get what I want. We'll find a way to really be together, I promise."

Fang nodded and kissed me. I pulled away after a moment and smiled. "Okay I'm going to change. I want to swim too."

Fang held me close. "But Max, you promised me a make-out session after lunch!"

I smirked. "No, I said maybe, and besides, tonight is still after lunch isn't it?" I turned and headed towards the stairs. I felt Fang pinch my ass as he walked past me to the staircase up to his room.

Nudge had bought me a black and gold bikini on one of our summer shopping sprees. I slipped it on and pulled on my jeans and a long-sleeved shirt over it. It was October, after all.

We met in the foyer before heading out into the woods. It wasn't far to the pool house, only five minutes or so. I was stunned by where we arrived. The stone and design of the building matched the Mansion and through the window I saw lawn chairs of every color to put our towels on. I also saw a large hot tub and a glass door that seemed to lead to a sauna. I whistled.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Fang said, unlocking the door. Other than the sauna and two bathrooms, the whole thing was one big room with big windows that let in plenty of sunlight along with regular electric lights on the ceiling.

I set my towel down on a green chair and stripped down to my bikini. Now it was Fang's turn to whistle. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and murmured, "You look really good in that bikini, hot stuff." His fingers trailed down the bare skin on my sides, resting at the waistline of the bottom of the bikini.

Before I could respond, Iggy cried "FIRST JUMP!" and dove straight off of the diving board into the water. He came up a few seconds later and shook the water out of his pale hair.

"How's the water?" Jennifer asked. Iggy flashed two thumbs up.

"Then I'm going in too!" I called before doing a perfect dive straight into the pool. The rest of the kids followed. I watched as Fang came up from a cannonball. His wet hair clung to his neck and forehead, and water drops slid down over his tan six pack. Me gusta. He noticed my stare.

"You like what you see?" he asked, swimming easily over to me.

"Yes," I whispered, a little breathless. We wrapped our arms around each other. "I like it a lot." We started making out again. Yes, I know, our constant physical interaction was a little pathetic, but if you don't know why I couldn't stop kissing him, please read my above description of him until you understand.

"Guys," Angel interrupted, "Seriously?"

I pulled away. "Okay, okay, later."

"Later better mean much later, not five minutes," Iggy warned. "Do you know how gross it is to listen to you kissing?"

I wrinkled up my nose as several kids said ew. "Okay, fine."

So for the next few hours we played with diving toys and beach ball, and at one point Fang pulled a net across the middle of the pool and we played water volleyball. At about seven o'clock the Flock started getting hungry, so they all started climbing out of the pool and drying off. I decided to get into the hot tub instead.

I heard Iggy saying something, but I was too relaxed to comprehend it. I heard the door to the pool house open and close. I was leaning against the edge of the hot tub with my head back, my eyes closed, and my arms out on either side of me. I felt a sight disturbance in the water other than the jets, but I was too lazy to acknowledge it. Well, I didn't acknowledge it until said disturbance started kissing the sensitive spot behind my ear.

"Fang," I mumbled. He wrapped his arms around my stomach.

'Max," he replied. "It's still after lunch, and everyone else went home…."

I opened my eyes and turned to him. "Hm…," I pretended to think about it as I turned to him, pushing my fingers through his soaking hair. "I guess I wouldn't mind a little intimacy."

We ended up with my back against the wall, my legs around his waist, and my fingers knotted in his hair as he kissed along the edge of my bikini top. His lips were skimming the edges of my C-cup sweeties and he seemed to be enjoying it. "Max," he whispered, his fingers pulling down on my swimsuit bottom.

I made an unhappy sound. "Fang, _please_," I said sternly. "What is it going to take to finally get it through your head that _I do not want to have sex right now_." He opened his mouth to reply, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that it wasn't to respect my wishes, so I continued before he could. "Look, as much as I would hate to, I won't even get intimate with you anymore if you can't control yourself, okay?"

I pulled his head up so we were looking each other dead in the eye. The playful, sex-hound look left Fang's eyes and was replaced with a shamed look. "Sorry," he muttered, looking away.

I kissed his cheek. "Fang, I love you, and I will have sex with you at some point, but not right now. As soon as I'm ready, I'll let you know, okay?" Fang nodded. "Okay, now let's go home. I'm hungry."

Fang raised one eyebrow. "I'd rather occupy my mouth another way, actually." He started kissing me again, and I instantly forgot my hunger. Who needs food anyway?

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**Yep, nothing beats a chapter full of Fax fluff. I'm sorry for the wait, but I'm on a shared computer and super busy with school. But don't worry, I will update eventually!**

**I think this story is winding down. Only 5-10 chapters left, probably closer to five. This chapter was filler, but the next few won't be!**

**You may notice that I deleted the first kiss chapter in Fang's POV. That's because I will do what many of you have asked and post this in Fang's POV as a seperate story. I won't be the whole story, but a few chapters or moments that I think would be good in his head. I'll post those when this story is done.**

**This story turned one year old in March and I didn't even notice! Thanks again for all the reviews. 501 reviews for 17 chapters? Craziness! Keep 'em coming. All right, I'm off to see _The Avengers_! (I love Robert Downey Jr.)**

**~BirdKidKirby**


	18. Misunderstanding

Chapter 18: Misunderstanding

**Okay, so I used my grandma's computer to write this, so it will probably still be awhile before I update regularly, but enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

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**Max POV:**

I sat heavily on my bed, feeling like I might cry. I had checked my Facebook for the first time in weeks. I was careful to not like or comment or anything, because I didn't need my friends asking where I was, but that was why I felt so lonely. Seeing how everyone else was moving on, getting engaged, and some of my older friends were even starting families….

A single tear escaped my eye and slid over my cheek. Almost as if that tear had summoned him, Fang appeared to wipe it away. "What's wrong?" he whispered. One of the wonderful things about Fang was how ready he was to do anything to make sure I wasn't upset, whether that something was gently hugging me or buying me a new car (which he hadn't done but said he gladly would).

"Nothing," I muttered, turning away.

Fang sat down and kissed my temple. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Is there anything I can do?" I shook my head. "Then will you at least tell me what upset you?" he urged.

I sighed, "I was just looking at Facebook. It's just…seeing how well the lives of all of my friends are going, it just really made me realize everything I've given up for this. I didn't think it would be this hard."

I was still looking at the floor as I said this, but Fang's lack of response made me look up. I was surprised. Fang was opening and closing his mouth like the words wouldn't come out, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears himself. I replayed my last few sentences and immediately knew that I hadn't said it right.

"No, Fang, I mean-" I began, trying to fix the situation.

Fang held his hand up, "Max, I-I know you've given up a lot, so if you're not happy, I…we can send you away. Somewhere nice and stuff, so you can-"

This time I cut him off with a kiss. "No Fang, I don't want to leave. I mean, come on, if I already gave that stuff up for you, I'm not going to leave you now. Besides, I _am_ happy here. It was just…one of those moments, y'know?"

Fang looked at me, his black eyes sad. "Are you sure? I must have seemed so selfish, just taking you up without thinking twice…."

"Fang, you kidnapped me, then put me back. I returned of my own accord to be with you. I'm sorry I upset you."

Fang made a disbelieving noise. "_You _upset _me_? Max, after everything you've said, it doesn't seem like I have any right to be upset, now do I?"

I smiled. "Fang, if anyone has lived a tough life, it's you. I mean, with this curse and stuff, it's not like you ever got any of that stuff either. And you probably had to see-" I stopped, not wanting to upset him.

"Had to see my friends and family die around me?" Fang whispered. I didn't answer and felt ashamed for even bringing up the subject. "It's okay. I mean, it sucked at first, and I had to attend the funeral in secret so no one would notice I wasn't aging, but I've sort of come to terms with it. I generally just try to avoid thinking about it."

I looked away again. "Then I'm sorry I made you think about it," I muttered.

Fang started to press warm kisses into my neck. "It's okay. I've got the other guys and we have taken vacations and stuff before, so it's not so bad."

"How could you have taken a vacation? What if someone tried to get in?" I asked, looking at him.

Fang shrugged. "Iggy and Gazzy set some traps and stuff to scare people off. It usually works pretty well."

"Oh," I said, not wanting to think about the other unfortunate souls that had broken into Fang's Mansion. "Anyway, I'm sorry to have bothered you. You can go back to whatever you were doing."

"You didn't bother me," Fang said, "And I was actually about to come in to invite you to a romantic picnic dinner with me." He smiled and stood up, holding out his hand, "So, m'lady, I would be most grateful if you would accompany me to dinner tonight."

I giggled, "It would be my honor, good sir."

Fang bent his arm and I took his elbow. He led me outside before scooping me up and launching into the air. We flew for about ten minutes before we landed in the woods. I turned to ask Fang what he had planned-we had landed in a tree-heavy area where ther was hardly enough room to sit down, much less have a picnic-when he jumped me and pulled a blindfold over my eyes.

"Hey!" I cried as I tried to fight him off. "Tried" is the key word there, as he was much stronger than me. I felt his warm, muscular arms wrap around me and pin my arms to my sides. Fang started to run his lips against my neck. We were in a very intimate position. His arms were around me, his breath was against my ear, his hips were pressing against my butt from behind...oh lord.

"Sweetie," he murmured in my ear, "You know there's no use in fighting me. I'm so much stronger than any regular human, even you." He shifted his hips against me and I actually had to stifle a moan.

"Did you actually bring me out here for a picnic?" I gasped, "Or did you just drag me out here to rape me?"

Fang gave a low, sexy chuckle and I felt him smile against my neck. "Max, it would be impossible for me to rape you," his lips moved back to ear. "You _know_ you'd enjoy it."

My whole body felt off. My blood was rushing, my breaths were labored, and my head was spinning. Was this what it felt like to be seduced? Maybe I _should_ just give in...

"Okay, dude," I heard Owen's poorly-timed voice blare from our right, "I agreed to protect your picnic so you could go get Max, not so you could screw her."

"Yeesh Owen, cock-block much?" Fang pulled away so only one hand rested on my waist.

I suddenly felt unbalanced. "Are you alright Max?" Owen asked, "You look a little...weird."

"I'm fine," I said weakly. It sounded more like a squeak. Fang laughed, so I lashed out and elbowed him in the stomach. I heard all of Fang's air leave with a whoosh.

"Shit, Max, what was that for?" he gasped.

Now it was my turn to laugh. "For trying to seduce me. Now are you going to take me on a picnic or can I go home?"

Fang took a few more deep breaths and I heard the leaves around him rustle. "Okay, let's go. Thanks Owen."

"No problem," he said before taking off.

Fang put his hands on my hips and led me carefully through the trees. It was very disorienting to try and walk with a blindfold on, so I relaxed and tried to let Fang guide me. We stopped a few seconds later. I put my arms out but couldn't feel any more plants.

"Okay," Fang whispered, "Take your blindfold off."

I reached back and pulled the elastic strap over my head. I looked around the clearing and felt a huge, goofy grin spread across my face. White Christmas lights were strung through the trees all the way around before being plugged in to a portable generator, and bug-repelling candles burned on the ground near a huge picnic blanket. There was an iPod speaker and several pillows on the blanket next to an actual wicker basket that I assumed had our food inside.

I turned to Fang, still grinning, but simply said, "This is cheesey."

His lips turned up in an attractive smirk. "I know. But you don't mind, do you?"

I kissed him. "No. I don't mind. What are the pillows for?"

Fang shrugged. "In case we want to make a little love nest later."

I rolled my eyes. "Fang, this is very sweet, but we're not having sex tonight."

"Well, I brought some condoms with me in case you change your mind," he said, and I gave him an exasperated look. "What?" he asked. "It's good to be prepared."

"You are the most hopeless, horny bastard I have ever met." I said. Fang pouted, jutting his bottom lip out and crossing his arms. I burst out laughing at the conflicting image of badass Fang pouting like a four-year-old. "Okay, stop it. Now do you actually have food for me?"

Fang raised one eyebrow. "That's the only reason you came, isn't it? You just wanted food."

"Well duh," I said, "You think I actually want to spend time with you?" I teased, walking over and sitting down on the blanket.

Fang came over and sat next to me. "I thought you would. I've heard that I am an exceptionally good kisser."

I pretended to be skeptical. "Really? Who would kiss you, with that big fat belly," I teased, poking him right in the...well, the six-pack.

"Really?" he responded. "Well, I was thinking that if we made out later I might take my shirt off, but if you think it's unattractive...," he trailed off with a sly grin.

"Oh, you will definitely be taking your shirt off," I said, all serious now.

"Will you take yours off?" Fang asked.

For once, I thought about it. "You know what Fang, if you behave yourself, I might just consider it."

"Really?" He seemed surprised.

"Yep," I said. "You might just get to second base tonight." I had let Fang touch my chest before, but never under the shirt.

"Well then let's eat," he said. "Then we can get to the good stuff."

Fang pulled out paper plates, turkey sandwiches, and Coca-Cola. "Did you make this, or did Iggy?" I asked.

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Well, I packed it and set it up."

"With Iggy's portable generator?"

"Shut up, it's the thought that counts." Fang muttered.

I laughed. We ate our sandwiches and talked and had chocolate cupcakes for dessert. Then we cleaned up our trash, moved our basket, and attached like magnets. It took about fifteen minutes for Fang to be shirtless and my legs to be around his waist. He rolled me over so he was on top. Then he slowed down and carefully undid each button on my shirt, savoring every moment. That was something else I loved about Fang. He could act all careless about sex at times, but when it came right down to it he really did care about me.

Fang slipped my shirt off of my shoulders and sat back to really take in my body. He reached out and softly stroked my sides. His eyes went down to my hips and back up, locking hungrily on my bra. I saw him slightly lick his lips.

Unable to restrain myself, I leaned up and captured his lips with mine again. As we kissed Fang reached around to grab the clasp of my bra, but I stopped him. "Not ready for that, huh?" Fang asked, seeming a little disappointed.

"Well...I don't know...being completely topless feels like a whole different step, you know?" I admitted, blushing. "Just give me another few minutes to work up to it."

"Alright. God, you're beautiful when you blush," Fang sighed, kissing me again. Our bare stomachs pressing together felt so good, and I remembered him seducing me in the forest earlier. _Maybe you are ready to have sex with him._ Part of me whispered. _Just give in. You know you want him. Look at his body._ He surprised me before I could work up the nerve to tell him my thoughts. "Max, I want to marry you."

I pulled back and stared at him. "What?"

"I think you heard me."

"Well, I did but...don't you think it's a little soon?" I asked.

Fang shrugged. "I don't know, but you said you wanted to get married, and I really want to make the most of our time together. I don't have a ring right now but I promise I'll get you one. It'll be a small wedding, here at the Mansion." He looked at me hopefully.

I sat up all the way, unsure of how to respond. _Weren't you about to say you were ready to have sex with him?_ The little voice asked. _This won't change much._

"Fang I-I don't know. This isn't just a sex thing, is it?" As soon as I asked it I realized how judgemental it sounded.

Fang got offended, and reacted like a whip. "No Max, I'm serious. I wouldn't bother waiting if sex was all I wanted. You remember the forest earlier. Max, if I wasn't willing to wait for you, you wouldn't still be a virgin."

Now I was mad. "Oh what, you're saying if I piss you off you'll just rape me and drop me off in the wilderness with all those other kids who will also never see their families or even live to see another day?" I hissed.

Fang took a deep breath in through his nostrils and struggled to keep himself under control. His wolf form was struggling to break out. "Maybe I will. I'll just take what I want and leave you, like I do with every other girl. It's worked in the past and things were a lot less complicated that way." With that, Fang stood up, let himself change forms, and bolted into the woods.

I frowned and replayed the conversation in my head, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. I also realized that now I had no way to get home. Suddenly tears started running down my cheeks. What the Hell had just happened? Both of us had overreacted, and now I was stranded in the woods with the remnants of a ruined romantic evening. I was also still wearing only my bra. I reached over and pulled my shirt back on. Then I collapsed back onto the pillows.

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**Okay, so I still don't have a computer but I managed to finish this chapter at my grandma's house. It will probably be another month or so ****before I get a computer, so don't get too excited about updates, but here's something to keep you happy. But of course I made it a cliffy anyway. ;)**

**I just got back from Colorado, which was awesome! I've also been to Disney World and Sea World this summer. While I was in Colorado I watched the first 3 _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movies for the first time. They were great. I'm in love with Orlando Bloom. _So hot!_**

**Band camp starts August 1st so I'd be super busy anyway, but thank you guys so much for sticking with me. I promise to update as soon as I possibly can! My eventual next update will be in _What Happens In Vegas Doesn't Always Stay There. _Review, favorite, and alert my story so you know when I'm updating! **

**~BirdKidKirby**


	19. Making a Plan

Chapter 19: Making a Plan

**My dad got a new laptop so now I can use his old one to write for you guys. Yay! Now, I'm busy with school work, so I can't promise anything about a schedule, but I'll do my best. Thanks to all of you still reading!**

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**Max POV:**

After Fang and I had our fight, I sat in the meadow until I heard the sound of wings. I looked up, hopeful, but it was just Nudge and Iggy. Angel had told them I needed a ride home.

"Max…were you crying?" Nudge asked gently. I shrugged. Obviously I was, if she could tell. They packed up the picnic and carried me home. Iggy held me while Nudge carried the picnic stuff.

When we arrived at the Mansion, the Flock looked at me but said nothing. I guess Angel told them what had happened. Iggy was the first one to say anything. "Max…do you want me to make something chocolaty? To cheer you up?"

I just shook my head. "No…I'm just going to go to bed."

The Flock shared glances. "Okay," Eliza said, "But if you need anything, let us know, okay?"

I frowned, "Guys, I'm not sick, I'm upset. Lay off a little, okay?"

They responded with a chorus of_ okays_ and I headed up to my room. I briefly considered going up to Fang's room and waiting for him there, but I decided against it. Sometimes it could take Fang a few days to cool down. I rinsed myself off in the shower before climbing into bed. In the morning I would talk to Fang.

Except he wasn't back in the morning.

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I was sitting and using my laptop three days after the…incident. I was in my room with all of the lights off and my headphones in. I hadn't been crying or anything (though I think that's what the others assumed), I just didn't want to see anyone. Fang's absence made my heart feel like a punctured balloon. All I wanted to do was apologize. What I had said was mean and I knew I had only blurted it out because I was nervous.

Someone knocked on my door. "Go away," I said, not bothering to ask who it was, "I don't want to talk to anyone."

"Not even someone who's really sorry?" said the voice I most wanted to hear. Fang opened my door and poked his head in, giving me a sad look.

I shut my laptop and took out my headphones. Fang stepped inside my room and shut the door. I sat up and threw myself at him, kissing him furiously. He kissed me before pushing me back, "Okay, sweetie, okay!"

We stood there wrapped in a warm embrace. "You're back," I managed.

"Yeah," Fang said, "I've actually been back for about half an hour, but I snuck in my window so I could take a shower first. Running for three days makes you a little funky." I noticed that his hair was wet.

I raised my eyebrows. "You ran for three whole days?"

Fang shrugged, sitting down on my bed. I sat next to him, curling against his side. "Yeah, sort of. I slept at night and stuff, but my wolf body has much more stamina than a human body. And I had an errand to run."

"Mmm," I mumbled, not even caring enough to ask what the errand was. "Very cool." I snuggled up closer to him, kissing his neck.

Fang looked sideways at me. "Baby, I didn't know you were so needy," he grinned, leaning in, "I like it." He kissed me, and I pulled him down with me into a laying position. But again, Fang pulled away. That's right, _Fang _pulled away.

I frowned. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be looking forward to an intimate reunion."

"I am," Fang said, kissing my forehead, "Believe me, I am. But I want to apologize first. What I said was out of line."

"It wasn't just you," I replied, running my fingers through his hair. "I was rude too. I didn't mean to accuse you of only wanting sex. I had just already been thinking about it, and when you asked I got startled and, you know," I finished with a shrug.

Of course, only one part of my apology actually registered with Fang. "Wait…you were thinking about it?" Fang asked, propping himself up on one arm.

I blushed. "Well, yeah. I mean I am _curious_ about it, so when we were getting intimate…."

Fang leaned over me. "You don't have to be curious, babe. I'd be more than happy to just show you the answers to all of your questions," he murmured, running his fingers along my legs.

I sighed, glaring at him. "Fang, you focused on the wrong part of my apology. I was trying to be sincere."

"Sorry," he said, "You know how I am." Then he looked away. "No wonder you thought that."

"Fang, did I not just apologize for that?"

"I know, I know," he said. "And I'm sorry too. I was just nervous about asking you to marry me, so when you didn't respond the way I wanted, I kind of freaked out."

I pecked his lips. "Yeah, you just surprised me is all."

Fang nodded. Then he shifted nervously. "So…what do you think? About marrying me?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I…I don't know."

Fang looked at me and took a deep breath. "Do you want me to make my proposal more official?" I gave him a confused look and he pulled something out of his pocket. "Let me ask for real," he said, sliding down onto one knee on the floor. He held up a small velvet ring box. My heart sped up until it was going about a million miles an hour. I always said that I wasn't the kind of girl who got excited or emotional about this sort of thing, but secretly I was. All girls are.

"Max," Fang began, "I love you. I don't know how our relationship is going to be in the future, but I know that I would rather find out with you as my wife." He opened the box, revealing a simple gold ring with two rubies and a diamond sitting on top. It was perfect, not too much. He knew me so well. "So, Max, I ask you this. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I said quickly, before I did anything stupid like hyperventilate or run away.

Fang grinned and slipped the ring onto my finger. He got back onto the bed and we kissed passionately. I pulled back and smiled at him. "Where did you get the ring?" I asked.

"That was my errand. I picked it up while I was running," he said, "I figured that if I was going to propose, I needed to do it right."

I nuzzled my head against his neck. "Luckily it was a perfect fit."

"Yeah, I guessed at the size," he admitted.

"Well, you guessed right," I said, pecking Fang's lips again.

We kissed for a few more moments before Fang asked, "So when should the wedding be?"

I looked up at the ceiling. "Well, there's not really any point in waiting very long, seeing as we aren't sending out invites or anything. But Nudge is going to want time to plan something, so she'll need a few weeks." I said, turning over estimations in my head.

"What about around December twentieth?" Fang suggested.

"That will give Nudge about a month to plan," I muttered with a nod, "But that's so close to Christmas."

Fang gave me a sly look. "Well, I have a plan in mind for our honeymoon, and I think you would really enjoy it if we went over Christmas."

"Ooh, where?" I asked. Fang just shrugged. I huffed. "Fine. Be that way."

He smirked and leaned in. "So are all issues resolved?" I nodded. "Then I guess it's time for that intimate reunion." He whispered, kissing me warmly. I didn't even bother responding verbally, I just melted into him.

I have no idea how long we made out, but it wasn't long enough. We held each other close and French kissed like there was no tomorrow. But of course, Fang had to try and go farther than I wanted. I had slipped off my shirt, sure, finished what we had started at the picnic, but I didn't want to go any further. That didn't stop Fang from messing with the button on my jeans.

"Fang," I whined unhappily. "You _know _I don't want to do that yet."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Actually, if I remember correctly, you're curious about doing that, meaning that a part of you can't wait for me to get inside your pants."

I sighed. "Yes, but I've always wanted to wait until marriage, so now that we're getting married in just over a month we might as well just wait."

Fang rolled off of me and onto his back. "You're horrible, you know that?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "Then why are you keeping me around?" I asked.

Fang shrugged. "Think of it as a public service. If I keep you in here, the rest of the world doesn't have to deal with you."

I glared at him. "And you wonder why you aren't scoring with me."

"Some girls like that kind of talk," Fang said.

I snorted. "Yeah, drunk whores."

Fang nodded. "Well, that is the only kind of girl I've known for a while. Other than you, of course," he added hastily.

"Yeah, I know," I said frowning. "How did that work anyway? You and other girls?" Fang gave me an incredulous look. "I mean, with your wings and stuff."

"Our wings vanish when we want them to," Fang said. "Hadn't you noticed?"

I blushed slightly, feeling dumb. "Well, I assumed you just folded them under your shirt or something."

He shook his head. "Oh, Max. So naïve."

I punched him on the arm. "It's not that stupid of an idea."

Fang smiled at me. "I know. You just keep forgetting to take magic into account."

"Yeah, because magic is so common in my world. It's always something I think about."

Fang looked up at me from where he had decided to rest on my shoulder, "Well, it is now that you live here with us."

I looked up at the ceiling. "So you guys really are cursed? By a wizard or an angry hag or whatever?"

Fang nodded. "A witch, and a pretty good-looking one at that." I frowned at him and he gave me an abashed look. "Sorry. We _were_ a thing though."

I looked at him, surprised. "You dated a witch?"

"Well, I didn't know she was a witch until it was too late. And we were engaged, actually."

"So is it your fault that you guys got cursed?"

Fang blushed slightly and muttered, "Yeah…."

"What did you do?" I asked like he was a naughty child.

He shrugged. "Well, my parents wanted me to get married, and I told them that I never had any interest in love or anything, but they insisted. I was the lord of this mansion, rich and noble, so finding a lady that wanted me wasn't difficult. I picked a pretty lady from down the street and after a few weeks we were engaged. But, well you know me. This lady had a sister, see-"

I gave him an exasperated look. "Oh Fang, you didn't."

He shrugged sheepishly. "I'm nothing other than what I am. I messed around with her sister a little and my fiancé found out. Then she revealed that she was a witch and cursed us and that's that."

"So in other words, your douchey-ness got you all cursed? And why was everyone else affected?" I asked.

"Because they were my friends, and they knew that I was messing around with her sister."

I shifted us so I was lying on top of him, my head on his chest. "So I do feel like you deserved to be cursed, but how do we break the spell?"

Fang shrugged. "I guess true love doesn't break my curse. Killing the witch would probably do the trick, but I don't know what effect that would have on me."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Fang took a second to kiss my forehead as I snuggled close. "I don't know if I would just start aging again, or if all my age would rush on me at once and I would turn to dust."

I thought for moment. "Well…what if we somehow found another witch? Then she could either curse me too or change you back to normal so we could be together!" It sounded perfect. Why hadn't he told me all of this before?

Fang pondered this. "That might work, except finding a witch would be very difficult. Most of them just live among normal society."

"I don't care!" I told him fiercely. "You know that when I want something, I get it. I'm going to find a witch, and we're going to be together. I _thought _you would want to help."

Fang sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't pull that on me. You know that I want us to be together as much as you."

I kissed him. "I know. I just feel like we have to _try_. We'll definitely never break your curse if we just sit around."

"True," he mumbled, pulling me in for more kisses.

I almost gave in, but I had one more question. "What's your real name? Who was the young lord all the ladies wanted?"

He pulled back to look me in the eye and smiled. "Nicholas Walker."

"Nicholas," I murmured, trying it out as I ran my fingers through hair. "I like it. It fits you."

"I guess," Fang said, "But I prefer Fang. Or Master," he said with a devilish grin.

I glared. "Absolutely not."

"Fine," Fang sighed. "Only in my fantasies, I suppose."

I gave him a strange look. "Are you joking?" He shook his head. "I am never having sex with you. I'm afraid now."

Fang chuckled. "We'll see. You promised we would after we got married."

I gave a small laugh as something hit me. "I'm really getting married, aren't I?"

Fang gave me a small smile and nodded. "I can't promise anything big, but I'll take care of you."

"I know," I sighed, snuggling against his chest and tucking my head under his chin.

* * *

**Hey, I'm back. Sorry, I sort of lost enthusiasm for writing this story for a few weeks, but I've found it again and hopefully this story will end strong. I'm going to go back and edit some chapters in this story like some confusion with Max's name and adding a few things to make the story flow better, but nothing major will change.**

**_Les Miserables _was beautiful. I highly recommend it. I'm listening to the soundtrack as I write this.  
**

**I hope you all had a very happy holidays!**

**~BirdKidKirby**


	20. Hidden Problems

Chapter 20: Hidden Problems

…**I'm lazy.**

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**Max POV:**

"Max! Come on!" Nudge called up the stairs.

"Just a second!" I called back, pulling the laces of my converse tight. Today I was going to get my wedding dress, since the wedding was just a week and a half away. Once we told everyone, Nudge had, predictably, flipped out. She had filled the house to the brim with wedding magazines and gushed about all of her ideas. I think she was more excited than I was. Nudge was most excited about the wedding, I was most excited about being Fang's wife, and Fang was most excited about getting me naked. At least we all knew our priorities.

Nudge had practically tied me down to consult with me about the wedding. After a week of scouring bridal magazines, Nudge said she finally knew what kind of dress I wanted, which I found impressive, seeing as I hardly knew what I wanted myself. She was dragging me down to a bridal store downtown in a city about thirty minutes away by flight. It was just going to be me, her, and Angel. Nudge's number one rule was absolutely, positively, no Fang allowed. She said it was imperative that Fang wait until the wedding to see my dress, or we would have bad luck. I don't see how our relationship could get more screwed than it already was, but fate loved to prove me wrong, so I decided to play it safe.

I pulled on my coat as I strolled down the steps, in no hurry to go dress shopping. Nudge, however, couldn't wait. She met me halfway, grabbing me and pulling me the rest of the way down. "Come on, Max! We have to get going!"

"Why?" I asked. "We have all day. It isn't even noon yet."

Nudge gave me an exasperated look. "_Max_. Do you know how much stuff we have to buy? The dress, the veil, the jewelry, the décor-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted. "I thought we were just doing the dress!"

Nudge shook her head. "The sooner we have this done, the more time we have if something goes wrong."

"And of course, something will go wrong," a deep voice stated. I turned and saw Fang waiting there to see me off. I put my arms on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him.

"Get something pretty," he ordered.

I rolled my eyes. "Wish me luck, stupid."

"Good luck stupid."

I frowned at him. "Smartass." He winked and tapped my butt.

"Let's go!" Angel called.

Fang kissed my cheek and murmured honestly, "You always look beautiful. Don't stress out. Have fun."

I smiled. "I will. Bye."

He went to the kitchen to get something to eat. I headed outside with Nudge and Angel. Nudge managed to carry me on her own. I looked down as we flew, accustomed to it by now. The grass rolled under us like the sea, even with no waves. It was hypnotizing. I noticed the roads converging, moving in to a gray blob that I assumed was our destination. We landed just outside the city, in a neighborhood that looked completely deserted. Houses were wrecked, cars were overturned, and the plant life was all but nonexistent.

I took off my oxygen tank and Nudge tucked it into the shell of a car. "What happened here?" I asked, trying to sound brave, though it was giving me the willies.

"Tornado last year," Angel said, "It was a poor neighborhood anyway, and the city never rebuilt it. Most of the people were either dead or already gone."

"That sucks," I muttered. I know, I know, that wasn't a very sympathetic comment, but I'm not good with words, okay?

It took about five minutes to get from where we landed to the bus stop. Nudge chattered on and on about wedding ideas both at the bus stop and on the bus, but I hardly listened. I nodded occasionally but mostly just looked out at the city, twisting my engagement ring on my finger. I thought about how, to all of the people on the bus, we were just two girls and what looked like my little sister out shopping. They didn't know that I was actually the youngest of the group. They didn't know that we got here by wing. They didn't know my fiancé was a wolf. They were normal people with normal troubles, like I used to be.

"Max, we're here!" Angel said, shaking my arm to get me out of my stupor. I nodded and stood up, following an ecstatic Nudge as she bounced down the street.

"Okay, so, I told Jennifer to bring us the car around four-thirty so we have time to get home before dinner," Nudge began explaining, but I interrupted.

"Wait, why didn't we just take the car here then?" I asked.

Nudge shrugged. "Jennifer is the only one with a valid license, and she didn't want to come shopping with us."

"Ugh, lucky!" I groaned.

Nudge gave me a hurt look. "Well Max, would you rather have stayed home and not had any say in what I got you? Because you know we have very different opinions of what's pretty."

I sighed. "True. But let's get lunch before we start getting things to carry around." Angel agreed.

We ate at a little sandwich shop on the corner. Nudge resumed telling us the plan for the day as I munched on my club sandwich. "So, first we'll get some decorations, but not too many, since there's only going to be a few of us there. I was thinking maybe a lattice arch for you to get married under, and some sparkly things and ribbon to put, like, on the staircase and stuff. Then we'll get the dress, which is the most important part, of course, and the veil. Then we can get you some jewelry and shoes to match. Last but not least, a trip to Victoria's Secret."

"Whoa, what? That wasn't part of the plan," I protested.

Angel sighed. "Max, surely you weren't just going to wear something normal for your first time?"

I blushed. I knew Angel was a few hundred years old, but it was strange listening to a little girl lecture me about my first time. "Well, I mean, I'll be naked anyway, so it doesn't matter what I wear at first, right?"

Nudge groaned and put her head in her hands. "Max, you're hopeless! You wear that stuff to get the guy ready beforehand, to get him excited. And I know that sex isn't as important to you as it is to Fang, but you need to make it look like you want to. Don't make it seem like losing your virginity is a pain in the ass. No pun intended."

I blushed harder. "Okay, fine, whatever. Let's go get some decorations."

We headed to a garden decoration store first to find the arch that Nudge wanted. I agreed, because I did love the idea of Fang and I kissing under an arch while flower petals rained from the sky. Just a secret fantasy of mine.

"We need flower petals too," Angel said, walking close to Nudge. I frowned, and she winked at me.

"Sure," Nudge said. "What color?"

Angel looked back at me. "White," I said, because I knew that if Nudge picked, there would be hot pink, glitter-encrusted petals floating around on my big day. Nudge sighed, but agreed. It was my wedding, after all.

Nudge found an arch at the Home Depot that we all agreed was perfect. Since we couldn't carry it with us, obviously, the workers allowed us to leave it there and come back later to pick it up. Since it was December, we wouldn't be able to find the flowers to have real flower petals at the wedding, so we decided to go with fake cloth petals.

We walked into the store with all of the formal event stuff. Nudge told the lady what we wanted, but they were out of white petals and flowers. Of _freaking_ course. The lady said they could get a new shipment in next week, but a lot of other people already had them on hold. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought a Christmas wedding was a good idea. She offered us gold petals or light pink ones instead. Nudge looked at me, waiting for my decision.

I just shook my head. "It's fine. We can do without them."

Nudge and Angel looked at each other and back at me. "You sure?" Angel asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Come on," I said, ready to move on so I could get home to my fiancé.

Nudge thanked the cashier and we headed out into the bitter December cold. Nudge suggested we get something at Starbucks to warm our stomachs. It was a good idea, but the line was _so long_. I think we waited for approximately thirty minutes just to order, then another ten minutes to actually get our drinks.

"Okay, now we need to go quick," Nudge commanded, sipping her deluxe something-or-other coffee. She and Angel had gotten complex orders that I hardly understood, layered with so much stuff I wondered if you could even taste any coffee. I, personally, didn't like coffee, and had gone with a simple hot chocolate. "To the dress store!" Nudge cried.

We walked in and were met with the sight of rows upon rows of white. A lady in a sharp gray skirt suit walked over and asked if she could help us. Nudge told her that I was the bride, and we would need a wedding dress (duh, why else would we be here?). The advisor smiled warmly and began asking me what kind of thing I was looking for. I told her that I didn't want a poofy Cinderella dress, but rather a slimming, modern kind of cut. I also didn't want a long train, but I was fine with a long dress.

The advisor nodded when I finished explaining and asked for the price range. Nudge said no limit. I frowned, not liking the thought of them spending tons of money on me. We were led to a dressing room with a mirror display for me to model in front of. Outside was a waiting area for Nudge and Angel to sit until I came to show the dress to them. It was just like a normal fitting room, but everything was cream colored.

I waited in my dressing room, glaring at the wall as I thought about squeezing myself into a dress. Have I mentioned that I hate them? I have, right? I had always thought that I would be okay with it when it was my wedding, but now I felt worse than ever. I wanted to be married to Fang, I did, but everytime I thought about this wedding I wanted to cry. What was wrong with me?

Some civilized part of me reminded me to act normal and at least put a fake smile on my face when the advisor came back. She had five dresses in her arms. She told me that they all met my criteria, but were different enough to help her decide what exactly I was looking for.

I gave a mental sigh and stood up to begin trying them on. I'll spare you all of that, seeing as it took me several minutes to figure out how to get the first dress on. It had this complex pattern of criss-crossed ribbon on the back that my arms and legs kept getting stuck in. When I finally got it on, I didn't even like it, which made everything feel like a total waste of time. I didn't like the other ones either, and I didn't bother to show any of the five to Nudge and Angel. When the advisor, now looking a little less cheery, left to get me more dresses, they came in to check on me.

"Max, are you doing all right?" Nudge asked. "You didn't even show us one of those dresses! Are you just picky? Were they all the wrong the size? What do you want? Will go find the lady, tell her-"

"Don't Nudge," I interrupted, "Just stop." I took a deep breath, suddenly on the verge of tears.

The advisor tried to come in again with another two dresses, but Nudge told her that we were busy. The lady set down the dresses and headed back into the lobby to help other customers until we were ready.

Nudge and Angel sat down on the floor in front of me. "Okay, spill," Angel ordered.

I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Can't you read minds?"

Angel shrugged. "Yeah, but you don't know what's wrong."

"Then how could I spill?" I demanded. "Look…can we just go home? Maybe I'll feel better in a few days and we can try again."

Nudge shook her head. "Nope. We're going to sit here and you're going to try to explain until all three of us know what's wrong with you."

I groaned. "Nudge, please, can we go home first?" I heard a woman who seemed much more enthusiastic than me pass by to the dressing room next door. "There are people here, I don't want them to hear what I'm saying about…home and stuff."

She shook her head again. "Just speak quietly. They won't be listening. I still want to buy you a dress before we go, and Jennifer still isn't coming until 4:30 to pick us and the lattice up."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. That doesn't make any sense to me, but okay." I didn't say anything else, not sure where I was supposed to start.

Angel broke the silence after a moment. "Why don't you start with how you pictured your wedding when you were a kid? How did you want it to be when you grew up?"

For a moment, I considered remaining obstinate and silent, but it was really bothering me that I wasn't excited for my own wedding. "I…well, you know that I was never the girl with "princess" dreams. I always knew that I wanted a smaller wedding, even though Ella, like Nudge, insisted that she was going to throw me a big one anyway. When I was eleven and learned what a Vegas wedding was, I thought that sounded awesome."

Nudge gave a disbelieving laugh. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Well, yeah. It was quick, it was usually legal, and you didn't even have to wear a dress! What's better than getting married in your jeans?"

"Was your Mom okay with that?" Angel asked incredulously.

"Well…no," I admitted. "She said she didn't care if I had a small wedding, but it had to be a real one. She said…she said she had always wanted to put the veil on my head, right before I walked down the aisle and out of her life. Before she entrusted me to someone else."

All of a sudden my eyes filled with tears and I started sobbing uncontrollably. It was so sudden, I wasn't even sure what had happened, but Angel knew. "Oh Max," she whispered. "You're homesick."

I looked up at her. Once she said it, I knew. "I miss my mom and my sister," I whimpered as Nudge stood up and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you guys, and you're awesome, but it's not the same. Not when I've known my real family."

Angel squeezed my hand. "No wonder you aren't excited for this wedding. You don't have anyone to _really_ hand you off."

"Yeah," I sniffled, "But I want to be married to Fang. I mean, we could always just start calling ourselves husband and wife, but I don't want to do that without a wedding, but I don't know if I want a wedding either without my mom, so, so-" I started sobbing hysterically again. "I-I-I'm sorry guys. I never cry, you know that, it's-it's j-just-"

Nudge shushed me. "It's okay Max. This has been hiding inside of you for a long time. Just let it all out." I nodded and continued to sob into her shoulder. I was surprised how quickly we had figured out what was wrong. I had figured that it would take several minutes of talking to make a breakthrough.

"I have an idea," Nudge said softly when I started to settle down. "What if we had like…I don't want to say a _pretend_ wedding, but that's sort of what it would be. You could wear a more casual dress, like a white banquet dress, and all you'd have to do is say "I do". Then you and Fang can hop right on a plane to your honeymoon!" I opened my mouth to protest that having a lazy wedding wasn't going to help my homesickness, but Nudge continued on, shushing me again. "Then, after you get back, all of us will do everything in our power to find you a witch to break the curse. Once the curse is broken and we aren't part animal anymore, you can return home and spend some time patching things up with your family. Finally, we'll throw you the wedding you've always dreamed of, and we'll all live happily ever after. The end."

I mulled it over as the last of my tears subsided. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea."

They each gave me a hug and Nudge went to find the associate again. Angel smiled at me. "Maybe if you ask Fang, he'll let you visit your mom."

I frowned. "Do you think he'll think it's a good idea?"

"Probably not," Angel admitted. "But I can talk to him as well. As long as you have a solid cover story to tell her, it should be fine."

"That sounds awesome," I said. "Very optimistic, especially since my mom will probably grill me until I would feel safer in a police station, but awesome, if we can work it out."

That was when the advisor and Nudge came back with a few more dresses. These dresses were shorter but nothing slutty-they seemed like they would go about to my knees. After trying them all on, I decided on a dress that went down to mid-calf and had a thick strap over one shoulder. The dress had a beautiful sort of flow to its cut, and the fabric was a plain white.

"You like it?" the advisor asked. I nodded. "Good. Now, would you like to look at some veils?"

"No thanks," Nudge said, "We've already got that under control." I wondered what she meant, but I decided to go along with it.

"Okay then," the lady said, "If you'll just change out of the dress and bring it up to the front, someone will check you out, okay?" Nudge thanked her and she left. Nudge and Angel waited while I got changed, then we headed to the door. Nudge paid for the dress, which cost $350. Nudge assured me that for a wedding dress, I had picked one that was pretty cheap. I had no choice but to listen.

Once we were done, it was finally four fifteen. We headed back to the Home Depot to wait for Jennifer. I had decided that as soon as we got home, I would ask Fang about visiting my mom. Hopefully I could go see her after our honeymoon, maybe for New Year's.

It couldn't hurt to ask, right?

* * *

**Hey guys, I'm back. Finally. I'm trying to finish up these stories quickly, since I've been working on them for almost two years, which I think is a little ridiculous. I'm going to finish this one first, since I have writer's block for _Vegas_. I'll try to update soon! Review to help me out!**


	21. Love and Hate

Chapter 21: Hate

**Max POV:**

When we arrived home, everyone was lounging around as per usual. Gazzy and Iggy were watching _Family Guy_ in the living room, Eliza was presumably taking a cat nap, and I had no idea where Fang and Owen were hiding. Neither Iggy nor the Gasman gave much response when we greeted them, so I headed upstairs to my room to hang up my dress. Nudge called after me to remind me that we'd have to go back out for shoes and jewelry tomorrow. I rolled my eyes, but I agreed.

After I placed my dress in my closet, tucked out of the way so Fang wouldn't see it even if I left the door open on accident, I took a deep breath. I still wanted to see my mom, so I figured I would just go upstairs now and ask Fang about it. Why I felt so nervous, I had no idea. Wasn't marriage about give and take? Surely the visit wouldn't be a problem if we were careful.

Angel told me that Fang was in his room, totally chill. Good. The last thing I wanted was trying to talk to a grumpy Fang. I hiked up the stairs and tapped on his door once I reached it. He called for me to come in.

I opened the door to find him lying in bed with his laptop on his stomach. He closed the monitor as I came in, grinning at me. "Hey you. How was shopping?"

I shrugged. "It was shopping. You know how I feel about it."

"Even for your wedding?" Fang seemed surprised. It made sense-after all, even I was surprised at my own lack of enthusiasm.

"Yeah," I said sullenly, remembering my breakdown at the dress store.

Fang noticed my drop in mood. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. What were you doing on your laptop?"

"Nothing," he mimicked.

I raised my eyebrow, "Were you watching dirty "movies"?"

"My pants are still on, aren't they?" Fang responded.

I blushed. "Okay, sorry I asked. So really, what were you doing?"

"Nothing!" he insisted. "Just surfing the web and stuff." It seemed like a totally normal response, but I knew Fang well enough to hear the nervous, defensive undertone to his voice.

For a second neither of us moved, then I lunged to grab his laptop just as he moved to defend it. Fang moved the laptop away from me, setting it on his side table. I tried to grab it, but he grabbed my stomach and pushed me back onto his pillows. "It doesn't matter," he whispered. But I knew his game, and I knew how to play it. I ran my fingers up his stomach and onto his shoulders. My lips pressed against his neck before sliding up to his ear. He gave a soft groan. "Max…," he sighed.

I grinned, triumphant. "It matters to me," I hissed. Before he could stop me, I snatched the laptop from his side table and rolled away. I opened the top and examined the screen. There was a gray box with several buttons labeled things like "resume game" and "options", and in the background, green and brown squares making ground and terrain. Once I finally realized what I was looking at, I burst out into giggles. Fang yanked his laptop away from me. His cheeks were flushed red.

"You…play…Minecraft?" I snickered.

Fang glared at me, beyond embarrassed. "Yeah, so?" he grunted.

I stifled my laughter. I didn't have anything against people that played Minecraft, but the fact that bad-boy Fang was a secret dork cracked me up. He looked at me with a slight spark of defensive anger in his eyes. "Shut up, Max," he growled. "It's not that weird, okay?"

"I know," I said, still grinning widely. "But you act like you're such a badass. It's kind of funny to know that you're actually a closet nerd."

Fang frowned. "I am not a nerd. We all have our outlets."

My eyes rolled in my head. "Yeah, fine, whatever."

After tapping several buttons and moving his laptop to the side, Fang leaned in close to me again. "Do I need to remind you of how much of a badass I am?" he whispered.

"Bet it won't work," I said with fake confidence, though I doubted my own words.

Raising one eyebrow, Fang leaned in and pressed his lips to my collarbone. He took my wrist and guided my hand under his shirt and against his marvelous abs. "Bet it will," he breathed in response.

My only response was "Damn." Then we collapsed backwards, our lips mashed together. We were all askew, our heads almost hanging off of the bottom edge of the bed but our feet barely in the center. Have I mentioned that Fang's bed is freaking huge? I could almost have fit two of me between the headboard and the end of the bed. We spent several minutes sucking face before I fuzzily remembered that I had come in here to ask Fang something.

"Mm," I grunted, pulling away from him. He murmured a protest and held me close again. "I have something I need to talk to you about," I managed, pushing him off of me so I could talk to him normally. As soon as he saw the look on my face, he sat back and let me sit up so we could talk.

"Wedding trouble?" he checked, making sure things were going as planned.

"No, no, everything's going great," I assured him. "It's about after the wedding." Fang's eyes widened slightly, suddenly fearful. I resisted an eye-roll and said, "Not that either." Fang visibly relaxed. "No, it's actually about after the honeymoon too. I was wondering…well, do you think, maybe, I could visit my mom?" My voice tilted up hopefully at the end.

"No," Fang said flatly, leaving no room for argument. I was stunned by his blatant rejection of the idea. I had expected that he would be a little unsure and need some convincing, but this flat-out denial was shocking.

I took me a second to recover. "You could come too. We could rehearse a cover-story and stuff for when she asks questions-"

"I said _no,_" Fang snapped.

Something about the way he said it really irked me. Once upon a time I had been his prisoner, but I had assumed that we were equal now that we were engaged. It seemed Fang didn't see it that way. Realizing this made me bristle.

"Why not? You haven't even heard my point yet."

"I don't care," he replied. "You live here now, and you're not going home."

An angry blush filled my face from my neck to my ears. "What makes you think you have the right to dictate that?" I growled, trying to keep my cool. Fang and I were taking deep breaths, both trying to refrain from screaming. It looked like he could turn into a wolf at any second, and I was pretty sure I might also.

"You live here under my roof. I'm in charge here, and you have no reason to leave."

My mouth hung open. I was in utter shock that he would even think of saying something like that to me, much less actually say it. After a few more gasps, I started hissing at him again. "I do have reason to leave. My family is alive and I _miss_ them. Maybe isolation makes you happy, and I like my space, but I do want those people I love in my life. Do I need to be direct like you? Fang, I'm going home," I finished, furious with him.

This tipped Fang over the edge. He jumped off the bed, snarling and lashing his head as hair sprouted from his pores. His face elongated and his teeth lengthened, gnashing together. Once his transformation was done, he turned around to face me, his eyes full of flame. "You aren't going _anywhere_," he snarled, "Not now and not ever. I've gone through too much to get you here with me and I'm not doing anything to risk that. Your old life is dead, gone, and never coming back, so deal with it."

All of a sudden, my anger shriveled away. I was left with a scared, hollow feeling, and I realized that tears now accompanied my shuddering breaths. Not only was my life gone, it was taken from me by a man who was all appearance. Yeah, I knew Fang could be a bit of a butt sometimes, but this was a whole new level of horrid. He was rotten to the core.

"I-I can't believe…," I began, then trailed off and shook my head violently. I tore my engagement ring off of my finger and threw it at him. It clattered to the floor, and I had no idea where it went. I didn't care. Somehow I was down the stairs and slamming my door before my mind caught up to me. Sobbing, I managed to shuffle myself to my bed so I could wrap myself into my comforter. Time blended into a mush as I cried until I couldn't anymore. Moving here, giving my life to Fang, was obviously a huge mistake, and that meant he was right. My past was gone, my future was gone, and now I was utterly lost.

**Angel POV:**

"WHAT THE HELL?" I shrieked, making Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy jump.

"Good lord Angel, what was that for?" Iggy pouted, rubbing his sensitive ears. Ignoring him, I fluffed out my shimmery white wings and flew up the stairs, straight to Fang's room. My mind was always connected to everyone else's, even if I wasn't specifically listening to what they were thinking. It helped me keep an eye on everything that was going on. When Fang and Max got upset I caught wind of their conversation, and I was appalled.

I didn't understand what had led Fang to freak out like that. Nothing in his mind had given me any indication of any sort of dictator-complex insanity. Sure, he was in charge and liked to exercise that power, but he wasn't evil. The anger seemed to have come from nowhere. I searched for a reason, but his mind was muddled, his thoughts coming in small violent snippets. I didn't even bother to knock once I reached his room. When I flung Fang's door open, he twisted around and snarled at me.

"GET OUT!" he roared. Despite the fact that I was terrified by his furious eyes and gnashing teeth, I held my ground.

"We need to talk," I stated, trying to sound like after all these years I had gotten used to Fang's wolf form.

"Fuck off! I'm not talking to you," he growled. "And give the others the same message."

"Master-" I tried again, using his preferred title to try and pacify him.

"Get out!" he repeated, but this time he used his alpha-power stuff. My legs backed up on their own, pushing me out of his room. As soon as I was in the hallway Fang slammed the door.

It took a few deep breaths to regain my stability, but as soon as I did I walked back to Fang's door. This time I knocked.

"…Fang?" I whispered gently.

"You fucking read minds Angel," he responded, "How do you not understand that I want to be left alone?"

"You just drove away your fiancée," I told him. I heard his thoughts just before they left his mouth and intercepted them. "And I think she's serious this time, Fang. Max isn't going to run right back into your "ashamed" arms and kiss your guilty-puppy face. You're going to have to work hardcore to earn her trust back."

Several seconds of silence ticked as Fang mulled this over. When I realized he wasn't going to say anything, I continued. "Will you please talk to me and let me know why you said what you did?"

More silence, then Fang's door slid open. "You can read minds," Fang said, "Why don't you already know?" He was still agitated but was no longer yelling.

My blonde curls bounced as I shook my head. "Venturing into your mind when you're as upset as you are is fruitless. I can't get anything helpful."

Fang's tail thumped against the ground. He looked at me with his large black eyes. "Max really might not take me back?" He asked.

"There's a good chance she won't," I confirmed. Fang took a deep breath and shuffled aside, letting me in. I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. For a long, long moment, silence hung in the air. "Why did you say it?" I asked softly as the tension became unbearable.

"I-I…," Fang began then trailed off. His thoughts were thoroughly incomprehensible, to the point that even he didn't know where to begin. Yet despite the fact that I knew how confused he felt, I couldn't find it inside of me to muster up any sympathy. What he had said to Max was terribly rude, and I wouldn't forgive him without a good reason.

"Hop to it!" I snapped. "Every second you're quiet, Max gets more upset!"

"Why?" Fang groaned, "I thought she didn't want to see me!"

"One of those weird woman things," I explained. "She wouldn't listen, but somewhere inside of her, she'd be glad that you tried."

Fang shook his head. "Dammit. I don't understand."

"Fang," I sighed, exasperated by his stalling. "You just said one of the rudest things I've ever heard to the girl you love more than anything in the world, though for now the feeling is not reciprocated. _I_ need to know why, and then you need to go tell _her_ why, and there might still be a wedding."

"But I don't really know why I said it," Fang muttered, glaring at the ground. His tail was swishing irritably back and forth.

I was about to lose it. "Well you better figure out why the fuck you said it because it was completely out of line. And I will take Max away with her memory wiped if she'll be happier somewhere else."

Fang turned around to look at me, his eyes suddenly full of panic. "You can't do that!" he cried.

My eyes narrowed and I fluffed out my wings. "Try me." But as I threatened him, I felt a clearance in his mind that shed a little light on the situation with the argument. I sighed and felt my wings pull down a little bit. "You do realize that you will definitely lose her if you push her away like that, right?"

There was no response. Fang was staring at the ground, but when I asked again he gave a little shrug. "But I can't lose her," he whispered so softly it was almost incomprehensible.

"But you will," I said. I know, it sounded a little harsh, but Fang had to realize that being an asshole forever was not going to work, especially if he was planning to marry Max. It was several long, silent seconds before Fang got up off of his haunches and started sniffing around near the base of the bed. I checked his mind to see what he was doing, then sat down on the edge off the bed away from where he was rooting around. A moment later, he emerged with Max's engagement ring in one of hid furry hand-paws. As he stared at it, his fur began to melt away until he was in human form. I felt myself relax slightly. I hated dealing with wolf Fang.

He looked at me, and I saw a tear roll down his cheek, which he quickly brushed away. "Can I go see her?" he asked.

I shrugged. "That's your call. But maybe give her some time to calm down first. She's about to fall asleep. Maybe talk it out in the morning? And you should probably consider letting her see her mom."

Fang made a face. "Why should I? She has a family right here."

I rolled my eyes in angry exasperation. "Fang, she wants to see her fucking Mom, because unlike you, some of us loved our parents, and miss them quite a bit!" I shouted, suddenly furious with his insensitivity. How could he have forgotten how much a true family meant.

Fang turned around to look at me. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Screw him, making me think of my parents for the first time in years. We had been separated when I was just seven. Separated because of _him_. And I missed them more than I could describe. I had never had a childhood because of him, and now I was stuck with the body of a child and the mind of an adult, too "young" to enjoy the pleasures of adult life but too "old" to revel in the innocence of youth. "You know what Fang," I added, sniffling. "Max deserves better than you. Much better. And I wish she would realize it."

As I turned away I heard him think _Jeez, I've really fucked everything up today_.

"Yes, you have," I responded.

_**Line!**_

**Max POV:**

My beautiful, painless sleep was disturbed by a knock on my door. It wasn't an angry knock, but it was loud enough to wake me up. Loud enough to pull me back into the world where my husband-to-be was an asshole and I was never going to see my family again. "Go the fuck away!" I called, before rolling over and burying myself underneath the covers. Despite my words, whoever it was opened my door anyway. I didn't even have the energy to tell them to leave, especially when the smell of bacon and pancakes hit my nose. I heard the clink of a tray being set on my bedside table and the soft pad of footsteps, but my door didn't reopen. Whoever it was was waiting for me to come out, and that concerned me. That meant they wanted to talk. That meant it might be Fang, because it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since we fought so I hadn't been holed up that long, and the others wouldn't have been trying to coax me out yet.

And yet, despite how awful the things Fang had said to me, I was somehow still in love with him. I didn't know why, and I hated that it was true. However, I also wanted him to suffer for a few more days before we made up, got married, and had our happy ever after.

Sadly, Fang knew me. I couldn't just sit there under my covers with the smell of bacon permeating every inch of my room. It was torture. After a just a few moments I threw my covers back and glared. There was Fang, in human form, leaning against the side of my window with one ankle crossed over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. He was completely still, and his face was impassive but watching me intently.

"Fuck you," I growled, sitting up and reaching over for my breakfast. I tore ravenously into one of my strips of fatty goodness and Fang raised one eyebrow. He remained silent as I started eating, until I looked over at him and demanded, "Well, why the hell are you here?"

"Why do you think?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Well, I don't want to talk to you, so I really have no idea why your stupid ass is in here."

Much to my surprise, Fang didn't respond with a joke about his ass and how much I liked it. Instead, he took a couple of long strides and sat on the edge of my bed. I looked at him as I shoveled pancakes into my mouth. He looked down and began, "Look, I don't want you going home. I can't handle that you want to be anywhere other than here, want to have any other life apart from the one we have together. But…I realize that the way I reacted yesterday evening was out of line. And…I'm sorry." He looked up at me through his long hair with a slightly hopeful expression.

I was so shocked that I stopped eating and set my partially eaten food out of the way. My fingers reached out with a mind of their own and stroked his prominent jaw line. Then I smacked him.

Fang stood up and backed away, flailing slightly. He looked up at me and opened his mouth, but I walked over and put my finger on his lips. "You deserved that for what you said and how you acted last night. However, what you just said to me was the first true, sincere, focused apology you've ever given me. So, for that, you may sit on the edge of the bed while I eat and explain yourself." I turned around and got back into bed and put my tray of food back onto my stomach. Fang came and sat at my feet again.

"Max, I am deathly afraid of losing you," Fang admitted. "So, when you told me you wanted to go home, I flipped out. And yes, I know I overreacted," he added, catching the look on my face.

I swallowed my bite of breakfast and said, "You wouldn't be losing me. I wanted you to come with me, meet my mom and stuff. I was thinking we could do it on the way back from our honeymoon."

Fang frowned. "I know. But I figured…if you visited your family…you'd want to go back. And live in the normal world."

"Fang…," I sighed, torn between feeling sympathetic and remaining pissed off. "I hated the normal world. I was flunking out of college, I hated all of my jobs, and even Dylan was so sweet it made me sick." This was a fact I had realized in hindsight, thinking back on my old life. I knew now that Dylan and I would never have lasted. "I just miss my mom and sister. They were the only things I truly cared for. Why else would I have come here to live with you? It's interesting here. You guys keep me on my toes. We get to fly, out in the open air, when we go places. You have a huge mansion with two pools. And, in addition to that, my fiancé is the hottest thing that ever walked planet Earth."

"I am quite the sight for sore eyes, aren't I?" Fang teased. I noticed that he had been subtly scooting closer to me as we conversed.

"You never change," I said with a small grin.

Fang sighed. "Well, maybe I should change. I severely angered you and Angel within two hours, and she still won't talk to me."

I frowned. "How did you upset Angel?"

Fang shrugged. "Just…old hatred. Not much I can do."

I was almost done eating now, so I set my tray aside for a second to crawl over to Fang. I put my hands on either side of his face and leaned my forehead against his. "Fang, this is our first argument where, yes, you were the only one at fault. But usually, I like that you're kind of a dick. I like to argue, it keeps things fun. As long you keep being affectionate under the surface, I'm fine with the bad-boy façade. Just, no more of whatever psycho-dictator thing came over you last night, okay?"

"Okay," Fang said. "I promise not to freak out again." He reached into his pocket and pulled out my ring. "So…we're still getting married?"

I slipped the ring onto my finger. "Of course we are." I said. "Though I suppose a sane person would have broken up with you for real by now."

Fang chuckled. "If you were sane I wouldn't even want to date you." We leaned and kissed softly for several seconds. When we pulled away, Fang reached for my breakfast tray, where there was a fifth of a pancake and one strip of bacon left. I knew the bacon was his target, and my hand darted out and grabbed his wrist.

"I don't think you want to do that," I warned, reaching for the last piece with my other hand.

"Actually, yes, I think I do," Fang replied. He caught my wrist with his free hand. This caused us to fall over, with Fang on top of me. "But, I do like this as well," he murmured.

"Of course you do," I said leaning up to kiss him. Suddenly, Fang pulled himself out of my grasp, grabbed, my piece of bacon, and moved to the other side of the room. One large bite, and two-thirds of my glorious bacon was gone, gone, gone. I stood up and started for Fang, who watched me, moving slowly away as I advanced. My room wasn't that big, so Fang soon found himself against the wall, with nowhere to go. I got close to him and reached out for the last bite of bacon. To my surprise, Fang held it out to me with a small smile. I opened my mouth and moved to eat it, but right at the last second he pulled his hand away and stuck my sweet, greasy, bacon right into his stupid mouth.

I shrieked in horror. "Fang! How dare you pull a stunt like that! You're going to pay for that!" I jumped on him and pinned him to the wall.

Fang grinned. "Really, because I like this. I would love to wrestle with you." I gave him a disgusted look and pulled away, turning around to walk out of the door. Fang caught waist and swung me around so I was pinned between him and the wall.

"You know, we may have had a huge fight, but we made up in a record-breaking less than twenty-four hours," I pointed out as Fang leaned in and kissed up and down my neck. "So you can't fool me into thinking that you're deprived or lonely, because it hasn't really been that long."

"But it feels like forever," Fang moaned. "I can't stand it when I can't kiss you."

I knew how he felt, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I squirmed out from under him and picked up my breakfast tray. Then I opened my door and headed downstairs to put it in the kitchen. Fang followed, putting his hand on my butt. I elbowed him in the side, and he moved his hand up to my waist, chuckling. "Stupid horn dog," I muttered.

Fang shrugged. "Sorry. My fiancée is super sexy and won't let me in her pants. I'm getting desperate."

I rolled my eyes. "Only for a few more weeks. Then we'll go on our honeymoon and wreck our room. And then we'll go see my mom. Right?"

Fang frowned. "Max-"

"Please?" I cut in.

"We'll talk about it later," Fang decided, pulling away as we walked into the kitchen. I sighed and set my tray in the sink. I knew that that was the best I was going to get for now.

* * *

**I don't have any excuses you haven't already heard. Please leave a review, it really h****elps remind me to keep writing. I love you guys, I do, that's why I haven't abandoned this project yet. Ciao!**


	22. The Big Day

Chapter 22: The Big Day

**Max POV:**

"Max!" Nudge hissed. I felt her shaking my shoulder. "Max! Get up! Today's the day!"

I rolled over and sat up. My clock read seven thirty. "The wedding isn't for four more hours!" I complained. "Why do I have to get up now?"

"We have to get you ready!" Nudge began, but I didn't let her get any farther.

"My wedding is at 11:30. At 9:30, you can come get me up to get me ready. Now get out." I waited for a moment, but I didn't hear her head to my door or open it. "Nudge!" I groaned. "Go away!"

Nudge began poking me. "Max, we have to do your hair and stuff! And you have to eat and shower and put on your dress-"

I snapped up and grabbed the front of her shirt. She was so startled that she shut up. "Nudge. I showered last night, my dress isn't that complicated, and it doesn't take me that long to get ready. It's a mini-wedding, you guys will be the only ones here. Now, get out, or I won't let you get me ready at all." I let her go and she scrambled out of the room. I let out a breath and buried myself in my pillows again. Now that Nudge had dragged me into reality, my stomach had tied into a knot. In just a few hours, I would have a husband. I was getting married today. _Married_. Me. Today. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to fall back asleep. I wasn't sure why I was nervous. The Flock were the only ones that were going to be at the wedding, and I knew Fang wasn't going to leave me. I even trusted that Fang had planned a wonderful honeymoon.

At the thought of the honeymoon, my stomach twisted tighter. Ah. Of course. I wasn't worried about today, I was worried about _tonight_. Losing your virginity is a big deal, after all. Well, at least it is to those of us with standards. Nudge, Jennifer, and I had taken a trip to get me some lingerie for the trip a few weeks back, and I had started taking birth control pills a few days ago. It was happening. Part me knew that a good fraction of the nerves came from the fact that Fang wasn't even slightly nervous. He had done this hundreds of times. It didn't mean anything to him.

Even more nerve-wracking than the thought of my first time was the thought of going witch hunting, in a sense. After our honeymoon, we had to find someone who looked and acted just like everyone else. I had no idea how to find a witch. I also didn't know what to do once we found her. What if Fang's curse couldn't be broken, or what if it was like he suggested, and once it was broken he crumbled to dust? I felt my chest start heaving. I sat up and put my head in between my knees. It felt like I was having a panic attack, even though I had never had one before. I was so worried about sex, and witch-hunting, and the future, and my family-the one in here and out there….

I heard my door open as I attempted to steady my breathing. It closed, and I felt warmth envelope me. "Shh," Fang murmured, "Shh. It's okay. We're okay." I buried my face in his shoulder and concentrated on the rhythm of his hand massaging my back. It only took a few moments to settle down, but once I felt normal again, I was too embarrassed to look at him. Eventually Fang realized that my breathing was back to normal and tried to pull back and look me in the eye. Still feeling chagrined, I followed the motion of his body and kept my face against his chest, where he couldn't see me. Fang was still and quiet for a second before asking, "Are you okay?" I nodded. He tried to push me back again, but I wrapped my arms around him and held myself in place. "Then why won't you let me go?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but…."

"I'm embarrassed," I mumbled. Fang's chest shook as he chuckled. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to sit back.

"Why? What were you panicking about?"

"Angel didn't tell you?" I asked, surprised.

Fang shook his head. "Nope. Just said you were upset."

That was a relief. I didn't want Fang to know that I was so worked up over our future. I didn't want him to think that I felt doubt or that I couldn't handle myself. "It's nothing." He gave me a skeptical look. "Promise!" I insisted, leaning in to kiss him.

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Fang asked. I shook my head and kissed him again.

"Nudge woke me up too early," I stated. Fang gave a small laugh and guided me into a laying position. I tucked myself against him and felt him breathe until I fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up again when Fang pulled away from me and slid out of my bed. I sat up and looked over at my door, where Nudge was waiting. Fang grinned at me and kissed my head. "Time to get up, honey. I'll see you in a few hours for the big event." I smiled and reached up to kiss his mouth. Then he slid out of my room to eat and get ready.

I looked at Nudge and then at my clock, which read nine thirty-two. Nudge grinned. "Hungry? Of course you are, it's you. Here, I brought you breakfast." She handed me a plate with two Nutella-covered pieces of toast. I raised one eyebrow at the meager portion. She noticed my expression and added, "Iggy said not to feed you a big breakfast because he's preparing a huge feast for after the wedding. Seriously, he's making so much stuff! He said I couldn't tell you what any of it was, but he's got so much cooking he even needed Eliza and Angel's help! Owen and Gazzy are setting up the lattice and stuff in the foyer because it's snowing and there's already like, a foot of snow on the ground, so we can't go out there unless you want to freeze. Fang might not mind though, because once I read that one of the best ways to warm up in the freezing cold if you're, like, stranded is to take off your clothes and share body heat, so he could use that as a segway into-"

"Okay, Nudge," I managed through a mouthful of Nutella. "I get it." I could smell Iggy's cooking now that I was fully awake, and I knew the toast wouldn't tide me over for long. Nudge went to get Jennifer as I finished my breakfast. Then the two of them took me into my bathroom and sat me down in a chair.

Nudge played boy band music from her iPod as they got me ready. Jennifer was giving me a homemade mani-pedi and Nudge was doing something with my hair that involved me sitting very still. From what I could see in the mirror, she was weaving my hair into a complicated pattern and she was very intensely focused. We had decided to go without a veil, since the concept still made me want to cry. As far as visiting my mom, Fang had remained distant on the topic. Every time I tried to bring it up, he would disappear or change the subject. In light of getting ready for the wedding, I had let it drop for the past week, but as soon as we got back from our honeymoon, Fang and I were going to have a discussion about it. I was going to see my mom whether he liked it or not.

I dozed slightly as the girls pampered me. Nudge had to take a quick break while Jennifer scrubbed my feet because I was so ticklish that I had to writhe and clench the armrests of my chair to refrain from kicking Jennifer in the face. It did take them almost two hours to get me completely ready. When I was finished, I stood up and admired my reflection. My dress had been tailored so it fell just above my knees, rather than all the way down to my calf. Nudge had wrapped a thick gold ribbon around the base of my ribs like a belt. My fingernails were a creamy white while my toes had a glittery gold polish. Nudge held up a hand mirror to the back of my head so I could see it in the reflection of the main mirror. She had twisted my hair into a complicated braid that looked like a huge flower. I also had a dusting of gold eye shadow, regular black eyeliner and mascara, and a hint of pink lip gloss. I had tried to tell Nudge that Fang didn't like it when I wore stuff on my lips, even if it was just chapstick, but she wouldn't listen. My earring were a dangling lattice of possibly fake but also possibly real diamonds. They were the only jewelry I wore besides my engagement ring.

"Wow, guys," I breathed, laughing in disbelief. "I look great. Thank you."

Nudge grinned. "It's no problem. I know Fang will like it too. Speaking of which, it's almost time, so I better go make sure everything is ready." She headed out of my bathroom and bedroom and headed downstairs. Jennifer gave me a small bouquet of a white, sweet smelling flower. I smiled and held the flowers up to my chest. Now I almost looked like a full bride. Jennifer was wearing a pale blue strapless dress that hugged her figure around her torso the flared out as it fell to the floor. Nudge was wearing a form-hugging, thigh-length gold dress. I knew Angel had a pink dress and Eliza's was a deep green. As I was staring intensely at the mirror, thinking of my friends here and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this was my wedding, Jennifer smiled and touched my shoulder. "Angel says it's time."

I took a deep breath and walked over to the door in my white-strapped wedges. Jennifer opened it for me and led me to the top of the grand staircase. She told me to wait until I heard the song, then headed down the stairs to where the wedding was being held. From my angle, all I could see was the edge long gold carpet I was going to walk down to meet Fang. I heard the "Here Comes the Bride" song ring from the piano and I took a deep breath. Now was the time. I headed down the stairs with one hand on the ribbon-adorned railing and the other holding my bouquet up. It took all of my concentration to appear graceful and remain stable, because it would be just like me to trip on these stupid shoes and fall face-first onto the aisle.

Once I made it down the stairs without making a total fool of myself, I relaxed slightly. The foyer had been decorated beautifully. I examined it subtly as I walked. There was a gold carpet marking the aisle and a white chair for each Flock member on the sides. Bunches of the white flower in my bouquet had been placed in vases around the area. The foyer pillars had been wrapped with white and gold ribbons, just like the banister on the staircase. As I neared the end of the aisle, I had to remind myself to breathe. The lattice arch had been woven with ribbons and flowers, and underneath it stood Iggy with the rings and Fang. Fang looked incredible in a tuxedo, as I'm sure you can imagine. He gave me a warm, genuine smile as I came to a stop next to him. I wondered if I had been walking too slowly, because it felt like I had been walking forever. Jennifer stopped playing, and Iggy began to read. However, he couldn't resist adding his own special Iggy twist.

"Dearly beloved," he began in a slow, drawling, old-man voice. "We are," he took a deep breath, as if the reading exhausted him, "Gathered here…today." More breathing. Fang looked at me, clearly unamused. I actually found it pretty funny, and was biting my lip to keep from laughing. My almost-husband rolled his eyes and smacked Iggy in the face with his wing as Iggy continued to drawl through his speech. "Ow!" Iggy cried. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot. Can you recite normally please?" Fang muttered through gritted teeth.

Iggy gave a dramatic sniff. "If you don't appreciate my help then I guess I'll just go then."

"Iggy," Fang growled, and even Iggy couldn't help but shrink back slightly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Can we keep going?" I asked, looking between the two men. Fang turned back to me and smiled. Iggy continued on in his normal voice until he finally announced, "You may kiss the bride!"

Fang and I turned to each other, grinning, and he pulled me in for a warm kiss. The Flock clapped as I put my hands behind Fang's head and kissed back. We pulled apart as Iggy slid around us and headed into the kitchen to pull out our feast. Nudge and Owen led us into the dining room. I saw Fang run his thumb over his lips like he was trying to wipe something off of them.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I told Nudge you didn't like it when I wore lip gloss, but she wouldn't listen."

Fang smiled. "It's not a problem, really. You look beautiful. Incredible." I blushed. "You won't be wearing any during the trip though, will you?" Fang asked.

"Nope. I hate it as much as you do," I assured him. He nodded. "Speaking of the trip," I continued, "Where are we going?" All Fang had told me so far was that we were going somewhere just as cold as here.

Fang shook his head. "I'm not telling."

"Fang," I whined, "Please? I'll find out at the airport, so just tell me now!"

"If you'll find out so soon it shouldn't matter that I won't tell you now." Fang said. "Or with that mentality, why wait until tonight? Let's just have sex now."

I raised one eyebrow. "Now? Here? On the dining table?"

Fang shrugged and leaned in, kissing my lips. "I'm not picky." He breathed.

"Well, I am," Iggy interrupted, coming in to the room with several plates of food. The rest of the Flock was carrying some as well. "I worked really hard to prepare this post-wedding feast for you and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't ruin it or ignore it. Besides," he added, "Sex may be top priority for you Fang, but we all know Max puts food above all else."

I grinned. "He knows me better than you, dear husband." I teased, bumping Fang with my shoulder. Fang pretended to pout but began to serve himself.

Iggy had prepared more food then even I could ever hope to eat. There was chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, ham, brisket, rolls, etc. I loaded up my plate as Nudge turned on some music. _Thrift Shop_ started playing, and immediately we all abandoned our food in favor of singing and dancing in our seats. Well, all of us except for Fang, of course. He gave us a strange look and proclaimed, "None of you are invited to our real wedding."

"Not even me?" I asked, grinning.

"Nope," Fang replied.

"So you're just going to marry yourself?" Gazzy asked.

Fang thought about it for a moment. "Guess so."

"Well if I'm not going to the wedding, I'm not going on the honeymoon," I warned him.

"Guess you'll be spending your whole second honeymoon jacking off then, Fang," Iggy said.

Fang shrugged, but before he replied I cut in. "Okay, that's gross. I'm trying to eat."

"Besides," Iggy continued, going back to Thrift Shop, "Isn't "Walk into the club like 'What up I got a big cock'" your life motto Fang?"

I glared at Iggy, who didn't notice, but Fang did. "Iggy, that was my past, and I no longer act that way," Fang said in an obnoxiously posh-sounding voice. I smacked him on the arm.

"Oh, I see," Iggy said, raising his hands. "Trying to keep the missus happy. Don't want to risk compromising any bed time."

"Oh my God," I groaned. "I do not want to talk about this."

"Why not?" Nudge asked. "We all know you're going to. It's your _honeymoon_. That's, like, what it's for. It's like a sex trip."

I blushed furiously. "That doesn't mean I want to talk about it! It's private!"

Fang looked at me, blushing and shrinking back against my chair. "Guys, lay off," he said, rubbing me between my shoulders. I gave him a grateful smile and he kissed my forehead. "Now, you eat up," he told me, "Our flight leaves at four thirty, so I'd like to be at the airport by two."

After we had finished eating Fang and I headed upstairs to change out of our formal wear into something we could wear in public. I put on a white sweater and some dark skinny jeans with my black riding boots. I looked down at my left hand, where a simple gold band now accompanied my ruby engagement ring. I still couldn't believe that I was married. Fang knocked on my door and asked if I was ready. I told him I was and slung my backpack over my shoulder before rolling my suitcase to meet him outside my door. He held out one arm to grab my suitcase for me, but I told him I could carry it. Fang chuckled. "I'm your husband now. Aren't you supposed to let me take care of you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't need taking care of. And I certainly don't need you to carry my suitcase," I added as we went downstairs. The Flock did keep up the tradition of throwing rice at us as we rushed out to Fang's car. He shielded me with his wings as we shoved our bags in the trunk and ducked inside. I couldn't help but laugh at the slight adrenaline rush dodging the flying grains had given me. Fang looked at me with a grin and leaned in to give me a kiss before we pulled out, watching the grinning, waving Flock disappear in the rearview mirror.

"So, I know that was the shittiest wedding ever," Fang started once we had driven away from the Mansion.

"It wasn't that bad," I interrupted. "After all, you were the groom. And you look very good in a tuxedo."

Fang smirked. "Thanks. You didn't look so bad yourself. Still, it wasn't much, and it wasn't what you deserved. But I promise, this honeymoon will be the best week of your life."

I smiled, looking out the window. "I hope so." Blushing, I looked over at Fang and said, "I love you, Fang."

Fang's eyes flicked away from the road long enough to see my expression. A warm smile spread across his handsome features and he said, "I love you too, Max." He smiled. "That's what a honeymoon is really for. A whole trip devoted to allowing me to show you just how much I love you. It's not just a sex trip. Though hopefully there will be plenty of that too," he added with a wink.

When we arrived at the airport, we had almost two hours to kill before our flight left. Fang made me wait while he printed our tickets and checked our bags. He wouldn't let me see the tickets yet, however. "Fang! Let me know where we're going!" I demanded.

"Soon, my love. Soon," was all he said. I pouted as we waited in a terminal Fang assured me wasn't ours. Seeing as it was a flight to Maine, I sincerely hoped not.

"Unless that's your plan," I said suddenly.

Fang looked up from his laptop. "What?"

"Maybe we really are going to Maine," I speculated. "You're going to take me somewhere so boring that all there is to do is sit in our hotel room and do the nasty."

Fang laughed. "If that was my plan, Max, we would have stayed at the house. Then we would at least have Iggy's cooking to refuel us."

I frowned. "I guess that's true."

Fang wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "I promised you the best week of your life, and I meant it. You'll have fun during the day and at night. Promise."

We watched Netflix on Fang's laptop until he said it was time to head to our terminal. I felt my heartbeat pick up as we walked. _Finally_ I was going to find out where we were going. It was four o' clock, and our flight was already boarding when we got there. Out of the window I could see that the jet was a huge international one. A piece of paper appeared in front of my face, making me jump. "Here's your ticket," Fang said. I took it from him as he watched me, waiting to gauge my reaction.

Once I saw our destination printed in the corner, I had stifle a shriek. A grin broke out across my face. "We're going to Paris?" I practically squealed.

"Good, you're excited," Fang said, and I noticed his shoulders relax slightly.

"Of course I'm excited! I've always wanted to go to Paris!" I said.

Fang smiled. "Excellent. I have been in…a very long time," he said, looking around at the normal people around us who didn't know about magic and curses and the like. "I'm sure it's very different from the last time I was there."

I looked back at my ticket. "Ooh, and we're flying first class?"

"Only the best for you, dear," Fang said. I elbowed him good-naturedly.

Once we were on the plane, the shock of my seat almost prevented me from sitting in it. It was a booth with a screen in front of it and a plush chair that slid down into a bed. "Fang, this is wow," I said, laughing in disbelief.

He smirked. "If you think this is great, wait until you see where we're staying."

I smiled at him. "You're awesome," I said, leaning over and kissing him.

"I know," he replied.

A few minutes later the pilot told us that since Paris was eight hours ahead of us, we would be arriving there around noon, their time. We were also given a safety lesson. Then the message was repeated in French for the people returning home.

I frowned. "Fang, I don't know any French," I told him.

"That's alright, I'm fluent," Fang replied, flipping through the Sky Mall.

"What?" I said, startled.

He looked up at me. "I've had a lot of free time, Max. I'm fluent in several major languages. Spanish, French, German, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese…and a few more."

"Huh," I said, at a loss for words. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He shrugged, reaching over to take my hand. I smiled, rubbing the gold band around his ring finger. He had taken the window seat this time, promising I could have it on the way back. I leaned back as we took off, on our way to France.

* * *

I stumbled slightly as we got off of the plane, still tired. It may have been noon here, but it was only five in the morning according to my body's clock. I had slept on the plane, but I still felt slightly groggy.

Fang put an arm around my shoulder. "Come on, sleepyhead," he said as I yawned. "Our bags are this way."

We went and collected our suitcases, then headed over to rent a car. Fang and I had decided that, true to European style, we would probably travel mostly by bike or Vespa while we were here, but it would be nice to have a car if we were going somewhere a little bit farther from our hotel.

The steering wheel was on the opposite side, which threw me a little bit, but Fang assured me he had it under control. I looked eagerly out of my window, taking in the sights of Paris. There was a light dusting of snow and frost on several of the buildings, but it was a sunny day and there was barely any snow on the ground. I could see the Eifel Tower far in the distance. There were people walking and biking on the sidewalks, shopping for Christmas or just enjoying the outdoors. "I'm so excited." I said.

"Me too," Fang replied. "We're going to have a great honeymoon. It is the city of love, after all."

He drove us to a tall hotel with a weird but wonderful blend of modern and ancient. We stepped inside the lobby and I was mesmerized. The floor was polished stone and the walls were rock. There was a large fireplace at the end of the room and there were several brown leather chairs and couches with wrought-iron legs around it. Fang went over to get us checked in. I followed him but stayed back, since I couldn't speak French. I looked up at the black chandelier above our heads, admiring its beauty. Laughter came from my right and I looked over to see Fang laughing with the attendant at the desk. Then Fang took our room keys and walked over to me.

"What was that about?" I asked as we stepped into the elevator. Fang hit the button for the highest floor.

Fang smiled. "He asked if we were on our honeymoon, and I said yes, so he wished me good luck and assured me that the beds here are very nice."

I blushed. "Great. So nice to know you're telling everyone that we're sleeping together."

"Well, we are married," Fang said. "I think it's assumed."

I didn't say anything else until we were in our room. Once Fang opened the door, I couldn't help but gasp. He had gotten a suite, and it was the nicest room I had ever seen. There was a leather couch with a flatscreen TV to the right side of the main room. On the left was a desk with an office chair and several plugs. I immediately ran over to the door that led out onto our balcony, which had a gorgeous view of Paris and, in the distance, the Eifel Tower. It was the kind of view you would see in a movie, but a thousand times better, because it was real. Fang came out and put his hands on my waist. I stood on tiptoe and kissed him fiercely, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He pulled me inside and pushed me up against the wall, tilting his head to the side as I opened my mouth. He slid one hand up my thigh and hiked it up to his waist. I grinned against him and moaned, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Fang sighed, kissing the corner of my mouth. "But come on, you haven't even seen the bedroom yet."

I pushed him back and squirmed out of his arms. Fang put one hand on my waist and opened a door, showing me our temporary love nest. I gasped. The bed was a huge four-poster bed, with a rich red comforter and gold and green pillows. "Well, nothing says romantic sex like a four-poster bed," I said.

"I agree," Fang whispered, kissing my neck seductively.

"Mmm, tonight," I said, pulling away.

"Why?" Fang asked. "Why wait?"

I shrugged, not looking at him. "I don't know. It's just, something you're supposed to do at night, I think. And I don't want to feel rushed or anything."

"We've got nowhere to be," Fang replied. I still averted my gaze, looking out of our bedroom window instead. "Hey," he said, grabbing my arm and turning me so I was facing him. "Why do you keep putting this off?"

"I'm not putting it off," I protested. "We're going to do it tonight. But I want to eat right now, and then I want to just walk around. We're in Paris Fang, there's a lot I want to see."

Fang frowned. "We have all week to see it. And you are stalling, that's why you look so nervous. Do you even want to have sex with me?"

"Not as badly as you want to have sex with me," I retorted, going into defensive mode.

Fang's wings appeared behind him, raised in a threatening arc. "Don't you take that as a compliment, Max? I love you. You're sexy, you're fierce, you're amazing. That's why I married you."

I opened my mouth to respond with a quip about how he only married me for sex, but then I shut it again. "What?" he asked, eyes narrowing. I shook my head. "What were you going to say?" he growled, but I turned away and said nothing. Fang looked at me for a second then realized, "You were going to suggest that I only married you for sex."

I shook my head, "No, no I wasn't!" I was backtracking now, trying to remedy the situation.

"Yes you were!" Fang shouted, stepping back and glaring.

"No, I wouldn't have said it," I cried, "I know it isn't true." I stepped closer to him. "Please Fang, I don't want to fight like this on our honeymoon."

He sighed wrapped his arms around me. "Neither do I," he whispered.

"We will make love tonight Fang, I promise. Just…give me until then."

Fang sat down on the edge of the bed and I sat down next to him. "Is there a reason you're so nervous?" Fang asked. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do," I said quickly. "I do, I really do. It's just," I shrugged, ducking my head away again. "I'm going to lose my virginity. Tonight's a really big deal for me, and it's not for you."

"Excuse me?" Fang asked, looking at me with shock.

I looked at him with my head still down. "Well, you've done it lots of times, with lots of girls who had more experience than me. But you're the only guy I'll ever have been with, so it's almost a little mind blowing to me."

Suddenly Fang kissed me with a passion that startled me. The kiss was very brief, and when he pulled back he hissed, "Don't you dare suggest that tonight is not important to me, Max. It may not be my first time to make love, but it is my first time to make love to you, and my first time with someone I'm really in love with. It _is_ a big deal. Just not in quite the same way."

I nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Fang said, smiling. "Now, let's go find somewhere to eat lunch. I'm starving."

"Me too," I said, getting up to follow him out.

* * *

**I'm such a tease. I was going to put the big night in this chapter, but then this ending sort of wrote itself, so I decided to wait. This story is rated T though, so there won't be a lemon, obviously. Please leave a review below. I know how the next chapter is going to go, all I need to do is write it, and I usually need a little extra motivation. ;)**

**NOTE: To those of you who also read _What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Always Stay There_, I'm really sorry. I'm still struggling with writer's block on how to make a bridge to the rest of the story. I'm trying to work out how to get the next chapter started, and once I do the rest of the story is pretty much written. Please bear with me, I'll try to get something up soon.**

**~BirdKidKirby**


	23. The Honeymoon

Chapter 23: The Honeymoon

**Guys...I don't what to say. Just read, I apologize again at the bottom. :/**

* * *

**Max POV:**

_*The Big Night*_

I pulled my coat up to my chin as Fang and I headed back to our hotel after dinner. It was almost eight o'clock at night here, but jet lag made me feel like it was the middle of the day. Clouds were gathering overhead, and there was snow in the forecast for tonight. Fang noticed me shivering and put his arm around me, pulling me close to him. We had on too many layers for his body heat to actually help warm me up, but it was a sweet gesture and it made me smile. The buildings on the sides of the road were adorned with Christmas lights and had Christmas trees displayed in the windows. My heart was beating like crazy as I was once again hit with the reality that I was indeed in Paris on my honeymoon.

The warmth in the hotel was more than welcome when we finally reached it. I started removing my coat and scarf as we headed up the elevator. As we stepped into our room, Fang set the _Do Not Disturb_ (at least I think that's what it said, it was in French) sign on the door handle. My heart jumped slightly. I set my jackets and other winter things on the couch, but no sooner had they left my hand than Fang had me up against the wall, kissing me passionately. His hands slid under my shirt, his mouth pushed mine open. I pulled away and put my hand against his mouth. Fang frowned and growled warningly, "Max."

I smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not putting it off anymore," I assured him. "It's just," I stepped closer and put my lips against his neck. "I have a special outfit for tonight, but it doesn't seem like you want to see it."

The look on Fang's face was priceless. I could see his mind wrestling between seeing me dressed like something out of one of his fantasies and just tearing my clothes off as they were. Grinning, I told him, "Five minutes. Let me change, then meet me on the bed."

We had unpacked our suitcases after lunch, but I had left my lingerie in mine to prevent Fang from seeing it. I pulled one set out and headed into the bathroom. Before changing, I brushed my teeth and took my birth control pill for the day. One day, when this curse mess was fixed, I wanted a family, but now wasn't the time. Then I pulled off my regular clothes and ungracefully tugged on the tight red and black corset. Luckily Fang wasn't watching me change, because watching me jiggle and squeeze myself into the strangely cut top probably wasn't that attractive. I thought it looked good once it was on, though. A matching thong finished the look. I had tried on the "clothes" before buying them, of course, but they felt different now. I looked at myself in the mirror and actually felt sexy. I set my wedding rings in their box and put it on the counter, then ran brush through my hair. "Max?" I heard Fang call from just outside the door.

"Two seconds," I called back, taking one more deep breath. Showtime.

The bathroom was attached to the bedroom, so when I stepped out I could see Fang lying on the bed shirtless and in his boxers. It wasn't anything special, in fact it was what he wore to bed every night, but that didn't mean it didn't look good. Fang always looked good shirtless. However, my special outfit apparently looked as sexy as it made me feel, because as soon as I walked out of the bathroom Fang's eyes widened. I grinned and turned in a slow circle. "You like?" I asked, even though I could see the answer written both across his face and on some…other parts of him.

Fang slid off of the bed and grabbed my waist. "Yes," he breathed, pressing his lips to mine. "Well worth the extra few minutes of waiting." I giggled slightly as he pushed me aggressively onto the bed. He started kissing me again. Now that we had gotten started, I couldn't remember why I was nervous.

"Be gentle," I reminded him good-naturedly. "It's my first time." Fang didn't respond but slowed his kisses slightly, gently sliding his hands up my legs. We unmade the bed before adjusting the covers and pulling them up to our chests. Then, well…the rest is private, but I'm sure you can guess what happened from there.

* * *

_*The Morning After*_

My mind woke up before my body the next morning. After a moment of staring at the darkness inside of my eyelids, I became aware of Fang's fingers making gentle circles on my bare skin. Moment by moment, each body part reconnected with the rest of me. I was still naked, curled up against Fang's chest. My husband had his arms around me and was rubbing my back, waiting for me to wake up. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Feeling my head move, Fang looked down at me and smiled. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Morning," I yawned, pushing myself into a sitting position. A slight pain shot through my midriff when I moved my hips. "Oh," I grunted, surprised.

"Sore?" Fang asked, giving me an amused smirk.

I glared at him. "Shut up," I muttered, moving to get out of bed. Looking around, I noticed that Fang and I were only lying underneath one corner of the sheets, and the rest were on the floor with the comforter. Several of our pillows were across the room as well. Smothering a grin, I slid off of the bed to go take a shower, but Fang put one hand across my waist and pulled me back to him. "Fang," I complained half-heartedly, leaning into him.

He kissed me before saying, "So?"

I looked at him, knowing what he was asking but not wanting to answer. "So…?" Fang just raised one eyebrow and looked at me. I sighed. "Why are you asking?" I dodged awkwardly. I didn't want to talk about my…experience, even though Fang had been the one sharing it with me.

"That was your first time. Our first time. I just want to make sure you enjoyed it."

I blushed and replied truthfully. "It was…amazing. Better than I thought it would be."

Fang feigned hurt. "You didn't think I'd be good?"

"Well, no, I did," I corrected, "I just didn't quite believe that sex was as fun as everyone says. And…it was." I shrugged, still feeling uncomfortable. "How was it for you?"

Fang chuckled. "Well, like you, I had my expectations surpassed." I blushed furiously again. "And honestly, whenever people would say "sex is better with someone you love," I passed it off as bullshit. But now I think they were right."

Still blushing, I tucked my face into Fang's shoulder. "I love you," I told him.

Fang pushed me back and pressed his forehead against mine. "I love you too," he replied. We kissed warmly for several seconds before Fang leaned over me, making me lie down. His kisses became a little more insistent. I pulled away and frowned. "Is there no sating you? It's been, what, nine hours?" I complained.

Fang gave me a cocky grin. "Well now that I remember how fun it is, I can't get enough."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Well, you'll have to contain yourself. Tomorrow night we'll go again."

"Tomorrow night?" Fang whined.

I leaned in and kissed his ear. "I need a little time to recover," I whispered. Fang sighed. "Now, I'm taking a shower, and then we're going sightseeing, okay?"

"Roger, Roger," Fang said, saluting me. I rolled my eyes and stepped into the bathroom.

* * *

By the time Fang and I had gotten up and showered (separately), it was lunchtime, so we stepped across the street for lunch at a small café. Fang informed me that he was going to force me to try escargot at some point during our trip. Luckily, I managed to avoid it for today. Then, we decided visit some of Paris's biggest sightseeing destinations. You know, the Eiffel tower, the Arc de Triomphe, etc. I was starting to understand why there was a period of dating people called "the Honeymoon phase". As Fang and I headed to the scooter rental center, I looked at him with what I'm sure were the dopiest cow eyes ever. Occasionally he would glance over at me and smile, until he finally asked why I was staring.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just can't help it."

Fang smirked. "Dazzled by my good looks? Guess I can't blame you. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and I too can't stop."

I rolled my eyes. "You're stupid," I said, turning forward. "And doesn't that make you gay, if you're enamored by handsome men?"

"No," Fang retorted, shaking his head. "It means I appreciate art."

I snorted. "Yeah, whatever. Speaking of art, are we going to visit the Louvre one day?"

"Of course," Fang said. "But that's an all-day expedition. We can go one day when we're up earlier."

"I don't know," I said slyly. "I think we'll always be up so late that I doubt we'll ever be up any earlier."

"Mmm," was Fang's only response. He smiled at me as we got our mopeds. I had brought a small digital camera with me on the trip, so I snapped photos of street corners and people and everything else whenever we stopped at a crosswalk. The light dusting of snow over everything gave it a crisp, surreal look. Everything was so beautiful here, it astounded me.

I wish I had more to report about that first day, but we really did just ride around and take it all in. I'm sure some of you would love to hear about Fang and I just walking around, making googly eyes, and generally being romantic, but the rest of you would be bored out of your mind. In the interest of pleasing everyone, I'll just tell you about our last stop.

After dinner we went back to the Eiffel tower to go up to the observation deck. Of course, every tourist in the city of Paris was going to the Eiffel tower at night to see Paris from above. Neither of us was too worried about the line though. I leaned back on Fang's chest and he wrapped his arms around me. We chatted idly about what we wanted to do for the rest of the week. We decided that the next day, Tuesday, we would go to a Christmas market Fang had found just outside of the city when he was doing research for the trip. Wednesday we would spend the day at the Louvre. Thursday was going to be Disney day, which I was beyond excited for. It was also Christmas Eve. Then Friday, Christmas day, we were checking out of our hotel and spending Friday and Saturday in the countryside. In between planning and ideas there was lots of giggling and kissing, and while there were some similar couples around us who didn't seem to mind, the tourists not here on a romantic trip kept throwing us annoyed looks.

When we finally got up to the top of the tower, I was stunned speechless. The Christmas lights lit up all across the city sent my mind into a tailspin. The other people on the deck were smiling in the same kind of awe. One couple was wrapped in a passionate embrace and the girl was crying. I could see a gem-encrusted ring on her left hand, and I realized he must have just proposed. The thought made me smile. I looked over at Fang and though he wasn't smiling (of course), he had a relaxed look in his eyes. I was pretty sure he had noticed too. Holding hands, we fought the vicious wind out to the edge of the observation deck.

For a long time we just stood together, huddling into our coats and trying to ignore the wind. I could hear the chatter of several languages around us as people took in the incredible view. I looked up at Fang, grinning. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he leaned down to kiss me. My arms snaked around his shoulders and I leaned into him. When we pulled apart, I noticed a couple of people giving us exasperated looks, but most people seemed to consider it business as usual.

After a few more minutes of romantic gazing over the city and several photographs, Fang and I decided to head back to our room for the night. I was exhausted, both from the active night before and the trek around Paris today. When we got back I took a quick shower, changed into my pajamas, and fell asleep almost as soon as I fell onto the bed.

* * *

_*Christmas Eve*_

It was eleven thirty, almost Christmas. Fang and I had spent the whole day at Disneyland Paris, from the moment it opened until the end of the Christmas fireworks. Now we were in our hotel room, slow dancing to instrumental Christmas music as we looked out over Paris. Fang had one hand on my waist and the other holding mine out to the side. I had my other hand wrapped around his stomach and I was resting my head on his chest. It was the most perfectly serene, romantic moment ever.

So of course, I managed to ruin it.

As Fang and I swayed in a slow circle, I caught a glimpse of the Christmas tree in the corner. Fang had ordered it from room service and had it brought up. It was a seven-foot tree, not too big, and it was adorned with red and gold ornaments of all shapes and sizes. We had arrived back from the Louvre the day before to find it had been delivered, fully decorated, to our room.

Now for some reason the sight of it felt like a punch to the gut. It made me think of my mom and sister, of how every year we would decorate our fake tree that desperately needed replacing with ornaments that held memories-no two of them matched. I wondered how much it had hurt them, having to do it without me this year. Even if they knew I was safe now, they had no idea where I was, and I hadn't contacted them at all since I had left.

I started crying. I didn't really mean to, but I suddenly felt so homesick that my bubble of bliss seemed to shatter irreparably. "Max?" Fang asked, concerned, when he heard me sniffle. I pulled away from him and shook my head, going to sit on the couch. "Max, baby, don't close yourself off. What's wrong?"

My husband hovered protectively over me, nothing but the utmost concern in my eyes. Guilt crushed my chest as looked at him. I was ruining our honeymoon because I couldn't control my emotions. Then again, this was his fault. He was the one who wouldn't let me contact them, wouldn't let me visit.

Fang put his hand on my shoulder, then moved it to rub my back. He sat next to me on the couch. "Max, tell me."

I turned my head to him. I was torn between yelling at him and pressing myself against him, letting his warmth carry my troubles away.

"I miss my mom and sister. I've never had Christmas without them before," I said, waiting for his reaction to decide my own.

His response was exactly what I was afraid of. His jaw tightened, and all he said was "Ah." It was almost like he meant "I was afraid of that." He pulled his hand away from my back.

Frowning, I sniffed and said, "Well don't fall over yourself to comfort me. I'm not horribly upset or anything."

Fang rubbed his jaw. "I know you are. But I don't-"

"If you say you don't know why Fang I swear to God I will walk out of here and sleep on the street." I stood up, pulling away from him.

"Don't be dramatic," Fang said. "It's way below freezing out there."

I made a disgusted noise. "Well it's better than being in here with you. How could you respond like that?"

Fang stood up, walking towards me, but I pulled away. He hesitated, then said, "I just didn't want all of this to come up on our honeymoon. I was hoping it could wait until we got home."

I scoffed. "Oh, so you could put it off even more? Face it Fang, you won't ever talk to me about it. Time and time again I've told you I won't leave you, but still you forbid me from visiting home." My mood had definitely changed from depressed to defensive now. "Honestly, every time you refuse, I feel less and less like staying with you at all."

Fang's wings suddenly flared out, an involuntary reaction whenever he got angry. I heard the back of his shirt rip as they tore through. "Don't talk like that," he snapped.

"Why not? It's true," I said.

Fang glared at me. "No, it's not. If you missed home Max, you wouldn't have come back. I sent you home, and you left it. You decided you didn't want to be there anymore."

I frowned. "Well yeah, but I figured I could visit or something."

To my surprise, Fang rolled his eyes. "No you didn't. You're a rash thinker Max. This going home business just came up a few weeks ago, and you've been back for months. When you first left, you had forgotten them."

I slapped him as hard as I could. He didn't move other than his head turning to the side as my hand collided with it. "How _dare_ you!" I shouted. "They're my family Fang! I'd never forget them! I just didn't feel homesick yet, I had assumed that as soon as I wanted to go home and visit I could. How was I to know you'd be such a dick about it?"

Fang gritted his teeth. His face had a red handprint forming across it. "Why wouldn't I be? You going home is nothing but a risk. If you slip, your mom could get suspicious, and if she starts investigating, then we could end up jailed, trapped studied. You may yet decide that being with us is too much of a risk for you and you might leave. There's too many unknowns, Max, things we can't plan for."

I frowned. "Oh, at least you have more bullshit to back yourself up now. You just don't want anyone to be able to love me but yourself. You're a selfish bastard, and you've been isolated for so long you've forgotten there's more to life outside of hiding in the Mansion. Most people don't live that way, Fang. It's only you."

Fang was focused on measuring his breathing, trying to keep himself from transforming into a wolf. Neither of us spoke for a minute, and I noticed that Christmas music was still playing from Fang's iPhone in the corner. An orchestral arrangement of _Joy to the World_ was playing, woefully unfitting. After a few more moments Fang muttered, "I just don't want anyone getting hurt. If she finds out and freaks out…."

"She won't, Fang. Even if my mom did find out, she's more rational than that. She might panic, sure, it's a natural human reaction. But she won't call the SWAT team or anything without hearing us out first," I said. "Besides, we'll have a cover story and stuff. It'll be fine."

Fang didn't respond. He stood there, wings relaxed but still out, looking out over Paris. I waited for a response, but when he stayed silent I turned to leave and go take a shower. "For Christmas," he said.

"What?" I asked, turning back around.

"I'll let you see her," he said quietly, "Because it's Christmas. Consider it a gift. We'll go when we get back."

I huffed. "I'm pretty sure it's my right and not a gift, but thank you, I guess." Internally, I was in some sort of ecstatic shock. I couldn't believe he was actually letting me go home!

Fang nodded briskly, still turned away from me. I could see that his wings had completely ruined his shirt, tearing the back to shreds. I could see the smooth muscle there. Shaking my head, I headed into our room. I wanted to just ignore Fang for the rest of the night, but a part of me also wanted to make peace. The more he had talked, the more I believed there was a lot of paranoia behind his refusal to let me see my family. However, I knew a good chunk of that was also him not wanting me to see her and leave him. When I thought about it away from him, I almost wasn't as mad. Fang hadn't had any real social contact in centuries. He was trying to be protective; he was just going overboard.

Sighing, I went to my suitcase and pulled out Fang's "present." It was now twelve-o-five, Christmas day. No reason not to give him his present now. Technically, it was something for me, but I was pretty sure he would enjoy it more than I did. I pulled on the skimpy lingerie and looked at myself in the mirror. I almost burst out laughing. The extra-revealing outfit made me look like a stripper. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, then I considered putting on bright red lipstick to finish off the "whore" look. Deciding against it, I headed out to the main room.

Fang had taken off his tattered shirt and it was lying on the couch behind him. He was perfectly still, staring out of the glass window with an unreadable expression. I leaned against the doorframe, making sure he could see all of me. "Fang," I called softly. He didn't respond. "Fang," I repeated.

"Hm?" he grunted, not turning to look at me.

"Fang turn around and look at me," I snapped. How dare he ignore his Christmas gift? He turned, looking annoyed, but as soon as he saw me his jaw went slack.

"Um…I thought you were pissed at me," he managed, slowly walking over to me.

I shrugged. "I am, but it's also Christmas. I had to give you your gift." Suddenly, I was crushed against the wall, Fang's hot, feverish lips all over mine. I gasped and melted into him. This would be our third time, but already I wasn't nervous anymore. Fang made me feel safe, made me feel right. I loved him, no matter how much of an asshole he could be. That's why he was my husband. And honestly, I remember waking up in our bed, but I wasn't sure if we'd ever made it there.

* * *

**Okay guys, this is what's going on. I've lost steam for this story, BUT I know what it's like to love a story on here and have it never get finished. Marching season is over, so I hope to update either this story or my other story every weekend. I know what's going to happen, I just need to write.**

**The truth is, I'm writing my own book. I don't know if it'll be any good, and I only have a few chapters down, but all of my mental writing focus and writing time has been going to that. However, as I said, I felt bad about leaving you all hanging, so I've decided to finish these stories as fast as possible so I can move on. Thank you guys for bearing with me. You're lucky I love you so much.**

**~BirdKidKirby**


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